Floodgates
by mylilchickadee
Summary: RE-POST One rash decision can change everything. Set seven years in the future. NarutoxSasuke, NarutoxHinata, SasukexOCs
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 1/26  
Pairings: NarutoxSasuke, NarutoxHinata, SasukexVarious OCs  
Rating: M for violence, both M/F and M/M sex, adult themes  
Spoiler?: Not specifically, but it was written somewhere around #460, so if you've read up to then, that might be good  
Genre: Drama, and a little Romance  
Notes: 1- There are two timelines in this. They are both linear to themselves, though not necessarily to each other. Also, additional time passes that isn't mentioned, so the timeline is a little unconventional.  
2-this has an open ending

* * *

Chapter 1

The city was cast in a perpetual semi-darkness brought on by willful clouds that settled too low. They rested their bellies against the hard-packed earth of road and rock of building, enveloping it all in hazy ambiguity as if they forgot or didn't have the energy to rise into the sky. They lay so thick and dense that little could be seen until one was directly upon it, the sections of town declaring their intentions by the burning of their lights even in daytime. Yellow and red, blue and green, the city glowed with dots of color round and soft at the edges like spirits, come to steal souls away. It was the perfect cover for the lower end of society, where whores and men of ill repute could trade their wares in relative secrecy, there and gone again into the anonymity of fog.

So it had been, so it always would be. No matter how the Mizukage attempted reform, Kirigakure remained a city built on the souls of its dead children. Their blood lingered in the air and their bones held up the cornerstones of its buildings, filling the city with the weight of unwanted memory.

He could feel it too, that heaviness of air, the touch of water droplets too stubborn to hit ground pressing in on him. He could feel the security and comfort of it as men and women like him appeared like specters every day to offer their services, only to disappear back into that darkness again as if they were never there. It was his too, that blanket of mist that settled down around him, concealing and protecting him like one of its own. The heart of the city had welcomed him in like a long lost son, recognizing in him a resonance of spirit like a mother knows a child. He was of this land now, as true as if he were born of it. He could feel the air, smell the blood in it, taste the metal, and hear the whispers that floated through it with promise and threat and secrets, revealing to him a whole world he couldn't in reality see.

--

Blindness didn't bother him nearly as much as those who had known him under another name would have presumed. While it was true that the loss of his sight and the near destruction of his eyes had led to the inevitable loss of his coveted jutsus, he had learned in the years that followed how to cope without. In the place of all he once was grew an acceptance so calm and hard it bordered on the frightening. And in the new _peace_ that had been established in the world, his eyes were rendered not as important as once they were.

He found other, more reliable strengths to rely on.

His other senses had been honed to as close to perfection as they could be, sharpened to a razor point. Nowadays he could practically taste the scent of his prey on his tongue like a snake. His chakra sense was far keener than it had ever been before, so that he could detect and _know_ chakra in a way he shouldn't. In some sense he was stronger, and more formidable, than when he could see.

He didn't move through the world with dark glasses or his eyes closed, actions taken with others' comfort in mind. Sasuke didn't care about them. He preferred to live with his empty eyes wide open, his "disability" out there for everyone to witness and be unnerved by his dark vacuous stare, the one that showed he had once been able to see. And perhaps he could still see, right into their meager little souls.

He enjoyed people thinking that.

No one outside the business ever suspected just how dangerous he truly was. It seemed nearly everyone underestimated him because of his blindness, an attitude that would have once irritated him but now worked to his benefit.

Besides, he didn't need to see the faces of people who didn't matter.

Sasuke rolled over in his large rented bed and hit something soft and warm that shouldn't be there. He let out an aggravated sigh and pursed his lips. The unwanted fool had returned, or never left, either way acting as though he had some sort of right.

Usually Sasuke was adept at weeding out the needy ones from the crowd, but every once in a while one slipped through his screen.

Trying to disturb his unwelcome bed partner as little as possible, he rose and padded quietly to the bathroom. The bedroom floor was rough beneath his bare feet, the bath tiles cracked and broken.

The time had come to wash away the filth.

It was one of the few pleasures he still actually took pleasure in. He would have preferred a bath, soaking in the deep warm water as the steam rose up over his face, but the only baths nearby were public ones.

The water of the shower cascaded warm and clean down his body, carrying away all reminders of the night before with blessed completeness.

With a deep feeling of disgust, he sensed movement from the other room and heard the soft latch of the bathroom door opening. The fool likely thought he was being sly, which only irritated Sasuke further. All it did was serve to illustrate just how stupid the boy really was. Warm unwanted arms wrapped around Sasuke from behind and a chin rested on his shoulder with a familiarity entirely unearned.

Sasuke took a deep breath and inhaled the sharp scent of over-chlorinated city water.

"Mind if I join you?" The boy purred into Sasuke's ear.

Chlorine couldn't get rid of everything apparently.

The shower having lost all its charm, Sasuke shrugged free from the embrace, shut off the water and stepped out. He dried himself off and replaced the towel neatly to the crooked rack, all deftly avoiding the unwanted guest as if he didn't exist.

He returned to the bedroom and dressed in his usual attire of black pants and pale blue robe, blue only because then it wasn't white. He sat down on the bed and could feel the scratchy, worn out blanket even through his clothes as he buckled on his sandals. The boy dropped down next to him, so light he barely caused a shift in the mattress.

"So what do you want to do today lover?"

Sasuke sneered.

The imbecile persisted in the belief that he meant something. It was beginning to seriously rankle on Sasuke's nerves. He walked over to his pack and carefully went down his internal inventory. He slung his elegant and lethal katana across his back, latching it on tight and looking every bit the beautiful and grim harbinger of death that had lured the boy in the first place.

"I'm not your _lover_." Sasuke hated that word.

"I'd have to say last night sort of contradicts that statement." The boy's voice was too high, almost girlish. Sasuke would have strangled him except that might force his voice to reach an even higher soprano.

Sasuke sighed, picked up his bag and turned away. "The room is paid until the end of tomorrow," he informed the stranger dispassionately. "I'll tell the manager you can use it until then. Beyond that, we have nothing more to say to each other, Kano."

"It's Kenta," the boy corrected with a soft edge of irritation.

"Whatever."

Without another word, Sasuke strode purposely from the room with his bag in hand and his sword at easy reach. The boy pounded his clumsy feet to the door, making dust fly and the old floorboards creak. He yelled from the opening, as though Sasuke was supposed to care.

"My _name_ is _Kenta_!"

--

The mark should be arriving any moment, so Sasuke kept his senses open for the approach.

Lazily, he sipped the bitterness of his green tea as he sat at the corner table of a ramshackle restaurant. His little table lurched to one side so that he had to hold his teacup or it would slide straight off and into his lap. At his back, his sword was hidden under a low level genjutsu, disguised as part of the cloak he wore in a condition to match his surroundings. It was hardly the most concealing of his many disguises, but then this was hardly a place where such a disguise would be remembered as remarkable.

The stink in the air surrounded him like an unseen fog to match the one outside. He could smell the patrons' sins seep from their pores; smoke and alcohol, sweat and blood, rusty steel and gunpowder. If there was one thing his life had taught him, it was that innocence was a ruse. But there was no false innocence here and that was good.

No one here wanted to be seen any more than he did.

Sasuke knew the instant his mark entered by the sudden whiff of soap, a substance clearly foreign to every other person present. He took a couple more leisurely sips of his tea before setting the cup down with a click, pushing it to the far side in hopes it would stay put. Though if it didn't, it wasn't his concern.

He laid a coin on the table as payment and silently edged closer to his quarry. While he moved, he was rendered invisible as if his inability to see made others unable to see him.

"Yeah, yeah," one man said, his patience clearly stretched thin. "I get it, all right? You got your end settled?"

"They'll be there," another man said, equally impatient. The two were clearly allies only out of necessity; this made plain by how the clean smell of the one warred against the stink of the other. Strange bedfellows these, but not uncommon ones.

"Yer sure about this?"

The second man cackled dryly. "The old man suspects nothing."

Sasuke silently snorted within the safe confines of his hooded cloak. Such a boring and commonplace sin betrayal was, barely worth the effort of mentioning. It greased his palm from either side so often that he rarely took the time to notice it.

The sound, smell, and feel of his quarry definitively ensconced in his mind, Sasuke had no more reason to stay. So he made his way out into the street, letting the coolness of the night's mist wash over him before his task was to be completed. The water in the air condensed in little droplets like sweat on his skin, but he didn't wipe them off.

It took far too long for his liking for the man to emerge as Sasuke sat waiting on the restaurant's rooftop.

The assassin waited only a moment more before leaping from his lofty perch. He took his time trailing the man's steps; he always took his time. Sasuke had caught the man in his net hours ago and his fate was already sealed. Rushing now would serve no purpose. When the air around them turned cooler and heavier, the ground rougher with the crunch of gravel, and the smell on the wind grew pungent with the stink of decay, Sasuke knew the time had come.

For some reason, criminals always liked to walk unattended down dark, abandoned alleys.

Sasuke slowly came to a stop. The man continued forward, completely unaware he wasn't alone.

"Yamamoto-san?"

Sasuke's voice was a whisper, rolling through the dark fog like the remnants of a ghost.

The quarry stopped for just a second before clicking off his lantern and moving on. He assumed that Sasuke was like him and couldn't make his way in the blood mist darkness without additional light. An amateur mistake. This was no career criminal, no great thinker of men. He was a small creature with large ambition and a stomach too tiny to hold it.

Sasuke smirked.

"I come," Sasuke began in his deep sensuous voice, "On behalf of Council Elder Mitazaki."

There was no mistaking the hitch in the mark's step. His meager chakra spiked with fear, practically blazing like an inferno within Sasuke's senses.

The assassin's lip curled into a sneer.

An amateur. A foolish waste of time amateur.

A moment later and the man bolted.

Sasuke left his feet, trained to be lightning quick since he was a child, it was a skill now polished to near perfection. He was over and in front on the man in an instant, materializing out of the fog like an apparition.

The quarry's sweat stunk of panic and adrenaline with just the faintest hint of alcohol.

"Now, now, Yamamoto-san," Sasuke drawled. "It's not polite to leave in the middle of a conversation."

Sasuke smiled dubiously and smashed the right side of the man's head with the hilt of his sword.

The man was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

--

The small package hit the desk with a flat, squishing sound, sickening and absolute.

"What's this?" A deep baritone intoned, not sounding interested in the least.

"Your guarantee."

"Guarantee?" There was the slightest pitch of interest in the voice as paper rustled, followed by a noisy squelching sound. The contents of the package slipped into the man's hand and he released a soft grunt. Sasuke hummed critically under his breath.

"That your esteemed colleague won't talk." Sasuke explained.

The former owner of the tongue would have had a lot to say.

The man handled the muscle for a moment, testing its unexpected weight then dropped it back carelessly to the desk. He neither flinched nor recoiled, merely handled the object as though it was nothing more than another one of his tedious papers.

Sasuke's assessment of him raised a notch.

The man leaned back heavily in his chair, making it groan, and regarded the assassin. Sasuke estimated the man to be of average height, bulky but not fat, of later middle age, and of a shrewd mind and a ruthless hand if necessary. He was a man with a taste for expensive things; Sasuke recognized the scent of his soap as a rare European import that cost more for a bar than most commoners made in a month. It was the same one that the now silent Yamamoto had used.

Sasuke noted the connection then dismissed it.

"What have you done with the body?" The man Mitazaki asked.

"I have left it to him."

Mitazaki paused a moment before leaning forward in his chair, the springs squeaking in protest. "He's not dead?" He asked incredulously.

The room was too hot. The council elder was sweating and the scent of it was starting to overwhelm the soap.

Patiently, Sasuke reminded the man, "I wasn't paid to kill him."

There was another awkward pause. "Yes, but with this injury, how could he - ?"

"I have my ways," the assassin replied. "If you want him dead, that will cost you extra," he explained blandly. "Disposing of remains can be rather tedious."

"No, no," the man was quick to refuse. He picked the tongue up again and squished it with his fingers. "So, you have done this favor for me," he ruminated, pretending suddenly at friendliness they did not share. "How do you know what I want to keep secret shouldn't be known? That what was in the cargo crate wasn't something destructive? Or heinous?"

"I don't."

"Ah, I see." Mitazaki leaned back into the chair, settling back comfortably. "Then how do you know you made the right choice? How do you know he was not the better man?" He waved his hand at the tongue in indication.

Sasuke huffed derisively. He'd learned long ago about the transient nature of "better", or even "good". They were no more than words, mutable with the times and circumstances.

"I don't care."

Then Sasuke pulled his lips up into a smile that was sure to send a chill up the other man's spine.

"I'm not in the business of passing judgment." _Not anymore_. Sasuke let his blank, all black gaze look off at nothing in a way he knew was disturbing. He adjusted his aim and the anxious shift in Mitazaki's demeanor told him he had hit his target spot on.

Sasuke let his lip curl further.

"I'm simply the executioner."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 2/26

* * *

Chapter 2

The sun was a constant, bright and round in the clear blue sky, casting all its good wishes down on the fair city of Konohagakure and all its citizens. The weather was as temperate as it ever was, the warm, clean air enfolding the city in its kindly, invisible arms.

The streets of the rebuilt village were filled with the noise of chatter and friendly greetings. The sounds of laughter and the small quick steps of running children echoed against the buildings and back into the road. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, or at least had the proper grace to pretend that they did, meeting each other with a friendly word or wave.

It hadn't always been this way, but a new sense of camaraderie and solidarity had been born the day it had risen back from the ashes of Pein's destruction. It was not as perfect as it once had been, the buildings were not as fine or as straight, but the cracks and chips in its armor only made its people appreciate it more.

And perhaps none so much as Uzumaki Naruto.

His disposition was much the same as it had always been. He still had the ready smile, the unwavering optimism, and the love of home and friends. Though he was no longer as involved in shinobi activity as he was during his younger years, he had retained the unmitigated desire to improve Konoha for everyone. His heart was still as wide as the town itself, encompassing each and every person within its walls.

In the time that had passed, he became less of the dedicated fighter he once had been. These days he served Konohagakure in a quieter fashion. At the tender age of twenty-three, he had settled well into the life of a peaceful world.

He had been married for just over three years to a sweet and devoted girl, the first one to tell him she loved him. She was not the wife he would have envisioned for himself years ago, but times had changed, and with them the affections of his heart. He was happy, living the life that he was supposed to, and he made certain that everyone knew it.

This didn't mean, however, that things were perfect.

There was that little something that everyone knew but no one talked about and that Sakura, one of Naruto's closest friends, had unceremoniously dubbed "lack of Sasuke."

After years of his friends' worries and requests, Naruto had finally given up on the person that had mattered most, the one that had been his rival, his brother, his enemy, and his closest friend all rolled into one. He didn't outwardly seek him anymore, now calling his inability to bring the last Uchiha back to Konoha his "one big failure". He spoke about it with regret and disappointment, but not with any indication that it mattered.

That's how Sakura knew that it did.

That and the fact that a few of the missions he took tended to linger on longer than they should, as though he had temporarily gotten lost or forgotten what it was he was searching for.

Hinata simply accepted her husband's periodic roves into the wilderness, knowing that Naruto would always return to her.

Sakura hadn't the heart to tell her that he never had.

All of this aside, life in Konoha had grown relatively calm now that Kakashi was the Hokage. He was a strange leader certainly, but that was a trait that seemed to go with the job. At least he was a man that understood the value of peace and of protecting one's comrades. The new Konoha relied more on negotiation and talk than on the violence it once did. Under Kakashi's careful leadership, such bloody resolutions were well left to the past.

Even so, their peace was a tenuous one. Though the leaders of all the major countries, and a couple of the minor ones, had signed a treaty, there were still many smaller wars being battled out in the shadows. Many shinobi born and raised in war knew no other way to live. Some of those had gone rogue, working for one of the underground factions or simply becoming bandits on the inter-country roads. Others, who chose not to go the way of crime, had little to nothing to do and no way to make their way in the new and untried world. Unable or unwilling to integrate into society under a different occupation, they languished in their homes until they could no longer afford them and then they tumbled out into the street.

So, it was peace, but it was by no means a paradise.

The younger set of Konoha ninja adjusted well for the most part. Some had given up the shinobi life altogether while others embraced it as fully as they could under the new authority. Still others divided their time between the ninja world and their laymen jobs, available when necessary, but concentrating on other pursuits. This left those more fully committed to shinobi life to deal with the outside world, now much smaller than it once had been.

Naruto was still an active ninja but most of his time was spent attending to the needs the village's most disadvantaged denizens: the orphans of war and the warriors left behind. Sometimes he taught at the academy, but mostly he watched over the orphan kids who were so like the child he had been, alone and uncared for in the world. To him, that was the greatest service he could provide. From time to time he still took active assignments, reconnaissance or delivery, but those were irregular and not requiring nearly as much skill as he had at his disposal.

But it was just another one of those things no one ever spoke about.

For the most part, he was happy. He was determined to be so.

This day found him at the academy teaching, or some would say corrupting, the impressionable young minds of Konoha children. Naruto loved spending time with any and all of the village's youngest members. He thought the kids cute and probably found a bit too much pleasure in getting them to make insulting, goofy-looking copies of his friends.

Sakura had told him quite plainly that this was counterproductive.

As expected, Naruto didn't agree. In his opinion, making classes entertaining and fun only served to make learning easier.

And being like a big kid himself, he was rather popular with the little ones.

His last class had just come to its grand conclusion – dozens of Kibas in beast form with drooling puppy dog faces – so Uzumaki-sensei sent the kids on their way. He himself left the building soon after, walking out into the warm spring sun and spotting one of his friends leaning indolently against a schoolyard tree.

"Hey! Shikamaru!" Naruto waved boisterously to the lazy man as if they were still school kids rather than the adult teachers.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, sighed heavily and slumped down into his shoes as he waited for his friend to join him.

Upon reaching him, Naruto threw his arm companionably around Shikamaru's shoulder. "I'm starved! Let's get something to eat!"

The lazy ninja grumbled under his breath. "Since you suggested it, you're buying."

Naruto pouted, looking like he hadn't aged a day since his genin years. "That hardly seems fair."

Shikamaru shrugged, unfortunately not managing to dislodge the unwanted arm. "Then go by yourself. I've got food at home."

Naruto plastered on his old familiar boyish frown and looked up to the sky to consider it. The day was bright and clear and the pleasantness of the weather helped to mellow his mood. "Oh, all right," he reluctantly acquiesced.

"We should get Chouji too."

The friendly arm was immediately gone with a grateful sigh from Shikamaru, as Naruto waved into the air to show just how much he didn't approve of this new development. "No way. I'll pay for _you_, but if I have to pay for Chouji too, I may as well pull out my mug of pencils right now and go stand on a corner."

"Yeah, yeah, right," the lazy ninja responded disinterestedly. "You won't have to pay for him. Chouji's got his _own_ money." In the mysterious way of life, Akimichi Chouji was one of the few ninjas whose fortunes actually seemed to change for the better after the war.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed despondently. "He's the one that ought to be paying for _us_."

Akimichi Chouji's residence was a decently sized, straight up and down house in pristine condition, a practical home for a practical man. Shikamaru groaned and rolled his eyes again before knocking on the big red door. Upon answering, the round ninja smiled wide and immediately agreed with his trademark joviality, although he did gloss over Naruto's terms of payment and took over the whole endeavor as if it were his job.

They did not go to Ichiraku's.

"This place has the best hot pot in town!" Chouji crowed as he shoveled another chopstick-full in his mouth.

Naruto scowled and quickly jabbed his chopsticks into the center pot to grab some food before all of it disappeared down Chouji's gullet. "Yeah, it'd be even better if we'd each gotten our own." "Family-style" didn't work for Naruto, especially when Chouji was part of the "family". It about ensured that Naruto would practically starve.

"Oh cheer up." The large ninja patted Naruto roughly on the back, nearly making him choke on the little bit of food he'd actually managed to get into his mouth. "I'll pay for the next one."

"You'd better," Naruto grumbled. He checked to make sure there was no more back patting in the immediate future then quickly swallowed his food.

Shikamaru grunted and looked out the window, still chomping lazily on the same piece of beef he'd put in his mouth minutes ago.

"So, Naruto," Chouji began genially as he picked through the pot in search of the most tender piece of meat. "The married life still good?"

Naruto elbowed Chouji's hand out of the way and speared the best slice for himself. Chewing around it, he said, "Fine."

Shikamaru tried to set his chin in his hand and missed.

"Real slick, genius," Chouji teased, looking on his longtime friend like they held a secret between them. Naruto saw the silent exchange and chewed very slowly as a few forgotten memories tumbled around his mind.

Shikamaru ignored the insult and turned on Naruto instead. "Geez, Naruto. It's been three years. And you're twenty-three! What's with the blush?"

"Ha! Guess he's still kinda innocent." Chouji patted Naruto again but luckily this time the blond had nothing in his mouth to choke on aside from his own tongue.

Naruto recollected his distant thoughts and frowned deeply at the rotund ninja.

"I am _not_ innocent."

"Sure, sure," Chouji agreed, clearly not believing it.

"So then," Shikamaru interrupted. "If that's true, when are you going to get one of those little brats of your own?"

Naruto shot a horrified look in Shikamaru's direction. "They're not brats. And I don't know." He shrugged and looked away. "Maybe soon."

"Oh really?" Chouji chimed with interest. He grinned mischievously over at Naruto. Chouji and his wife were already on their second child. "Well, it's about time."

Shikamaru snorted and looked slightly scandalized. "I don't know how Sawa puts up with you."

"'Cause she loves me," Chouji replied teasingly, but the pink to his cheeks betrayed his pleasure at this fact.

Naruto looked from one friend to the other and felt discomfort twist unreasonably in his belly. "So," Naruto needled Shikamaru unexpectedly, "when are you going to join the ranks of the old ball and chain anyway?" It was a fairly blatant attempt to direct attention away from Chouji and his blissfully happy home life, though neither of the other men commented on it.

"Ugh," Nara grunted and pushed back from the table. "I'm not the marrying type. Get bullied and hen-pecked like my old man? No thank you." He waved a hand in front of him to brush away any undue influence the presence of his married friends might have on him.

"That's what you say now," Naruto accused, his mood inexplicably brighter.

"That's what I say _always_," Shikamaru stressed, giving both his friends a very pointed look.

Chouji just laughed and, as promised, paid for the next bowl.

--

When Naruto arrived home, Hinata was standing in the kitchen, white frilly apron tied on and sea green potholders armed to the ready.

"Ah! Naruto-kun, you're home!" She smiled at him sweetly as he closed the door.

Naruto sniffed the air and scrunched up his nose. "Was Akamaru here?"

"Yes," Hinata answered as she leaned over the stove and pulled a large casserole from the oven. "Why?"

The blond man took off his shoes. "It smells like dog."

"Well that's nice," the woman said, unusually sarcastic. "And here I was trying something new."

Chagrined, Naruto walked over to her and inhaled deeply of the dish. "_That _smells good."

Hinata smiled, pleased at the compliment, instantly forgiving his earlier remark. "I just got that new cookbook from the store: European Specialties." She lifted the dish in front of her. "It's lasagna."

She placed it with a heavy thud onto the stovetop.

"Well, uh, I already ate with the guys . . ." Naruto said guiltily.

Hinata's body stilled for just a moment. "Oh. Well. I-I see." She looked critically down at the dish, but after a mere moment's contemplation, she shrugged. "I can save it for tomorrow. It ought to be all right."

In the heat of the kitchen, Naruto could see the tiny beads of sweat slowly trickle down the nape of her neck and into the curve of her back, exposed by the upsweep of her long black hair into a messy bun. Impulsively, he moved behind her and, hugging her tight around the waist, drew his tongue slowly over her neck to lick up some of the moisture there. "Chouji and Shikamaru wanted to know when we're going to have a little brat of our own." He set his chin on her shoulder.

"Oh, did they?" The woman asked coyly.

Naruto took the edge of Hinata's ear between his teeth and bit down slightly. She let out a playful little shriek. "And, well," Naruto began softly, "If we're not having dinner, I can think of something else we can do." He stilled for a nervous second. "Unless of course you're hungry . . ."

Hinata twisted her head to look on him with her pale lavender eyes. "I can wait."

Naruto turned her around, pressed her into the counter's edge, and kissed her until she gasped. Then he tapped their foreheads together and smiled. Their hands twined, his large tanned fingers threading through her pale thin ones like they were meant to fit together.

He tilted forward and kissed her again and all thoughts of dinner and friends and the wide world outside were lost to the beating of their hearts.

--

Hinata stirred quietly in her sleep, mumbling something in her dreams that Naruto couldn't quite make out. He leaned in close to listen.

"What is it?" He whispered, his lips curling up.

His wife murmured again with no intelligible words and Naruto laughed lightly. He pulled back to gaze at her, once more amazed at how perfect she looked when asleep, like a doll carved from porcelain. It was exactly the same when she was awake, the only difference being that in one case her eyes were open and in the other closed. Sometimes he thought she was maybe a little too perfect to be true.

Naruto tickled her ear and her eyes blinked open. She smiled.

"Naruto-kun."

He smiled back. "Good morning, Hinata-chan," he greeted and kissed the tip of her nose.

She blinked and blushed and stretched her arms over her head as Naruto rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom to shower.

Breakfast was ready by the time he was fully dressed and entering the kitchen. Hinata stood by the stove in a deep blue cotton robe that hit her at mid-thigh, and her traditional apron. Her husband crept up behind her and nuzzled her neck, smelling his own lingering scent mix with hers. He liked the way the two of them smelled together. Hinata hummed appreciatively then gently pushed him off. "Don't you have work?" She asked.

Naruto grinned deviously but took the bowl of miso soup she offered and sat down at the table. A bowl of rice and a grilled fish were already set at his place. Hinata took the chair opposite him with her own bowl in hand and settled herself delicately into it.

Her frilly apron stuck its ruffles up crisply from her pajama-covered shoulders. It suited her.

Peace suited her.

Naruto grinned again at her and spooned some rice into his mouth. It was good; it always was.

They had it everyday.

--

Naruto was out in the street minding his own business when he heard his named called. He turned around and saw his old friend, or "protégé" as he liked to call him, waving to him from a couple buildings down.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto called back and waited for the younger man to catch up.

Konohamaru was nearly as tall as Naruto but the blond still had a few centimeters on him, a fact which he took a little too much unreasonable pride in. "Whatcha doing?" Naruto greeted.

"Looking for you." Konohamaru grinned, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets.

Naruto curled up one side of his mouth into a smirk. "I don't have time to answer any challenges today."

The younger man gave Naruto a doubtful look. He huffed quietly and shook his head. "I'm not here to fight you. I'm too busy for that stuff. Kakashi-Hokage-sama is a little bit of a slave driver. You're lucky you don't work for him." The metal of his hitae-ate reflected brightly in the sun, momentarily blinding Naruto. "What've you been doing lately? I haven't seen you."

Naruto shuffled his feet to get more comfortable. "I'm just finished teaching. And now I was going to go home and see my wife."

Konohamaru shrugged. "Well, it'll have to wait. The Hokage wants to see you."

"What, _now_?"

"Yeah, that's usually what a summons from the Hokage means. Now." The younger shinobi gave Naruto a deeply skeptical look. "Seems like you should know that by now."

The blond balked for just a second then put a hand up behind his head. "Yeah, but it just doesn't seem right for somebody who's never on time to demand everyone else to be."

Konohamaru laughed. "You're right about that."

Then he tilted his head back and the sun flashed of his hitae-ate again, hitting Naruto right in the eye so that he had to squeeze his eyes tight against the glare.

--

"Uzumaki Naruto reporting for duty, sir." Naruto mock-saluted and clicked his heels crisply together.

"That's Hokage-sama to you."

"Sorry," Naruto said with a cheeky grin as he relaxed back into his normal stance. "It's just so hard to get used to."

The Hokage smiled impishly behind his mask. "Just imagine when we all have to get used to calling the number one knucklehead ninja by that title."

Naruto tried to frown, but the idea of becoming Hokage still made him happy, so he settled for sticking his tongue out instead.

"Ah," Kakashi sighed wearily. "How well you prove my point."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved the insult off, then settled back on his heels and crossed his arms. "What do you have for me today? I assume this isn't a social call."

"What? You no longer enjoy the pleasure of my company?" The man had the audacity to sound seriously offended.

"Uh, sure." Naruto pursed his lips and tilted his head, adapting the silent look of impatient indulgence he'd learned from Sakura. The silver-haired man pretended to be upset for another moment then quickly shifted gears into "all business Hokage". Naruto rolled his eyes but straightened up.

"I need to send a message to the Mizukage." Kakashi sifted through the papers on his desk, tossing aside numerous volumes of the Icha Icha series. The desk, if possible, was an even bigger mess than it had been under Tsunade. The clutter had begun to spread over the edges of the desk until it crawled all the way out to the walls. Kakashi continued with his explanation. "A simple delivery mission. That's right up your alley, yes?"

Naruto shifted a little under the quiet admonishment. He knew what people thought of his choices, even if they didn't say them aloud. Naruto nodded, knowing full well Kakashi wasn't paying attention.

"Ha!" The man cried triumphantly. "Here it is!" He lifted a scroll that was tied with red ribbon and sealed with Konoha's leaf emblem. "I need this to reach the Mizukage by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Naruto screeched incredulously.

Kakashi finally looked back to the shinobi and raised his one visible eyebrow. "What? You're not up to the challenge?" He sighed wearily. "Very well. I'm sure I could get Inuzuka to do it."

The blond frowned furiously and the hairs on the back of his head rose into even more impressive spikes. "I can do it."

The Hokage instantly brightened. "Excellent! I thought you might say that." He handed the scroll across the desk and Naruto dutifully took it, stuffing it into one of his many pockets. After folding his hands into a semblance of prayer, Kakashi set his chin upon their peak and continued with the strange, chiseled-on smile. "There was," he taunted, "something else."

Naruto crossed his arms defiantly and settled back on his right foot, knowing that tone from Kakashi never brought any good. "And?" He prompted, lifting an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Uncorroborated rumors. Ones I'd think would interest you," Kakashi lazily informed the unpredictable ninja. "There have been," he coaxed temptingly to gain Naruto's full attention, "Reported sightings of a man: blue-black hair, pale skin, about 186 centimeters tall, sometimes seen with a rather impressive sword." The Hokage lifted his eyebrows in silent inquiry, checking to see that he had his audience's interest. Evil genius that he was, he remained silent after this revelation and only stared at Naruto, waiting for the "snap".

Naruto's patience, in limited supply at the best of times, quickly obliged. "That describes about half the people I know," he scoffed, feigning disinterest.

Kakashi considered the boy - in the Hokage's eyes he was still a boy - and eased back in his chair. He looked a little conflicted over the situation, but did nothing about it. "The reports also say that the man was blind."

Naruto blinked slowly in apparent confusion. "Blind?" He swallowed thickly, nervously. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

The older man leveled his one black eye at the younger and stated quite plainly, "If even half the stories we've been hearing about him are true, it's very likely _Sasuke_ would be blind." He paused, giving time for Naruto to react, but when he refused to do so, Kakashi added somewhat inanely, "Overuse, as you know, taxes the eyes."

Naruto's right hand slowly curled into a fist. "The sharingan," he said, nearly spitting out the word like a bad taste in his mouth.

"Yes."

Kakashi watched with almost detached curiosity as the thick vein in Naruto's throat pulsed visibly. He waited, knowing this alone wouldn't be enough to convince Naruto, not when he obstinately refused to even entertain the possibility of finding that long lost friend.

Blue eyes deepened their hue to cobalt and turned directly onto the silver-haired Hokage. "What's he doing?" Naruto finally asked. "This man?"

Kakashi smiled kindly, the curve barely discernable beneath the black fabric over his face. "The facts on that are a little sketchy. There are so many rumors crisscrossing each other that it's impossible to say anything for certain." He paused, gathering air to make the next statement. "The one thing they all agree on is that whatever he's doing is very shady. More than likely it's criminal." Kakashi placed extra emphasis on the last word.

Naruto let out a long breath then swallowed. "Well, if that's the case, then forget him." His throat worked to swallow something hard and invisible.

"Naruto," Kakashi interjected softly. "You know you don't mean that."

"Sure I do," Naruto declared. Unconvinced, Kakashi smiled gently and took a rolled up piece of paper, considering it a second before tapping it rhythmically against his desktop.

Naruto understood the implication. The knuckles on his right hand bleached white. "You still haven't told me anything that proves . . ."

"No," Kakashi interrupted. "I haven't."

"Well then," Naruto stated stubbornly, "I guess that's that."

Kakashi nodded. But he knew it was the best lead they'd had in seven years and as close to proof as they were ever likely to get. He shrugged. "The rumors originated right near where you're going anyway. As long as you're there, you could - ," Kakashi dangled the sentence temptingly in front of the younger ninja. "But if you're sure . . ." The man held the full rumor report loosely in his hand, offering an unspoken offer for Naruto to make the final decision.

Naruto watched the gentle, hypnotic bob of the paper as it went up, down, up, down.

Then, regardless of all his claims, Naruto snatched up the scroll and shoved it into another pocket, as neat and quick as if it had never been.

"You need to be prepared," Kakashi added with a hint of his old teacher-voice. "Since he hasn't made any move to contact you, he probably won't be friendly."

Curtly, Naruto nodded and turned, his eyes clouded over with distraction as walked resolutely out the Hokage's office.

The door was left standing wide open, the room beyond looking bright and barren in the light of the afternoon sun.

Kakashi heaved a deep breath and shook his head.

--

Naruto hurriedly packed the last of his things and zipped his bag.

"You have to go _right now_?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded, but was too concentrated on counting off his necessaries to really be paying attention.

"It's just so sudden," The woman pointed out with disappointment and a little anxiety. "You won't be gone long?"

Hearing the tenor of her voice, Naruto turned to her, took her arms in his big hands and smiled. "No, I won't be gone long. I'm only leaving this soon because I need to get to Kirigakure by tomorrow." He squeezed Hinata's arms in reassurance and returned to his packing. "Normally it would take a couple days to get that far, over the water. So there's no time to waste."

Hinata nodded her head in understanding and stood vigilantly over her husband.

Naruto threw a couple items he'd forgotten into his bag and zipped it up again. Folding his arms and frowning, he took one last stock in his head and, deciding he had everything, slung the bag over his shoulder.

Hinata eyed him curiously and followed as he headed for the door.

As he opened it, Naruto turned back to his wife and smiled fondly. "It'll only be a couple of days," he assured her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Hinata nodded in acceptance. Then she went to her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the lips. After a long, strange minute, she tilted her head seriously. "It's Sa - " she started, but then cut herself off with an infinitesimal shake of her head. She looked her husband square in the eyes and put on a brave grin. "Good luck."

Naruto flashed his teeth in a brief smile before pulling her to him in a tight embrace and kissed her long and deep in farewell. They were both breathing hard by the time he released her.

Hinata's head dipped once, her dark lashes shading her eyes. "I love you," she said furtively, like it was a secret.

"Love you, too," Naruto returned, his mouth still to her ear.

And before she knew it he was gone; the door shut soundly behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 3/26

* * *

Chapter 3

The inside of the bar was about as heavy with haze as the street, only it was more with smoke than blood and water. Sasuke found his regular seat through memory, with wood scraping against wood at its base as he sat himself down.

"Hey, T. The usual?" The voice was tenor but gruff, with a tinge of standing familiarity not born of friendship.

Sasuke, or Taka as he was known in the business, let his sightless eyes turn in the direction of the man's voice. He nodded his head minutely in agreement.

"Don't call me 'T'."

The man laughed low and gravelly and congenial.

Sasuke sneered briefly then dismissed him. Instead, he perked up his ears for any interesting conversation taking place elsewhere in the room. But he heard only the low normal buzz of suspicious husbands and irate neighbors and other useless complaints.

The bartender clunked the glass of shochu and lemon heavily down on the bar. The liquid sloshed noisily in the glass and over the side. Without a ripple of emotion, Sasuke lifted it to drink while secretly pocketing the piece of paper beneath.

He stayed only a moment more, vaguely listening to the mindless chatter of the bar's uninteresting patrons, then paid his bill and left.

--

It wasn't until he reached his rented room that he checked his assignment, an unnecessary precaution but one he practiced nonetheless. The unusual system of cut paper and scent would mean nothing to anyone who wasn't in the network.

Sasuke ran his thumb along the edge and center of the paper, lifted the little slip up to his nose and got the information he needed. Saitou at the fish market in early morning. It was typical for the man, flaunting his dirty dealings for the whole world to see. Kirigakure had little enough of a police force anyway; the stain of crime and corruption had sunk too deep into the core of the city to be washed away by a few years and few policy changes.

With a flick of his finger, Sasuke burned the note to ashes.

There was still almost a full day until his scheduled meeting and wasting time between then and now would be a minor trial for him. Under normal circumstances, he liked the quiet life; just not when he was biding his time, waiting for a job.

He threw his pack onto the rickety old table and rifled through it until he found his favorite book. He pulled it out and sat down to read.

Leaning his head back on the headboard, he ran his fingers over the little raised dots for a long while and listened to the crickets in the grass play their strange string orchestra far into the night.

--

"Ah, my old friend."

"We are not friends."

The man hummed thoughtfully under his breath, his voice like oil slick over water. "Acquaintances then." Sasuke didn't bother to refute this claim and could almost see when Saitou's thin lips pulled over his long sharp teeth with pleasure. Of course, Sasuke didn't know Saitou had long sharp teeth; it was just entertaining to think of him that way. He liked to picture the man with a rodent's features, so as to match the vermin intellect inside, but he knew that people rarely showed their true nature on the surface.

The fish market remained busy at this time of day so that two men could make illegal negotiations without attracting much notice.

Saitou approached Sasuke, the old man's favorite smell of mint barely masking the stink of smoke and garlic and lies that permeated his skin. "I have a bit of a problem." He circled to Sasuke's side, but the assassin never moved, not even when the old man's thin, dry fingers brushed along his bare forearm. Saitou was perpetually touching him and Sasuke never knew quite what to make of it. He also didn't care. The client could act however he liked; Sasuke was always professional. The man stood too close, making his warm breath waft uninvited over Sasuke's neck. "There is a man angling for my job. The job I have fought very hard to earn and retain." He paused, sliding his fingers over Sasuke's arm thoughtfully. "There is an election coming up and he's . . . getting in my way."

"And you'd like to get rid of him?" Sasuke asked flatly.

Saitou laughed, breathy and whistling, and thankfully pulled away, giving Sasuke some much needed space. "No, no. Why would I want to do that? He is my comrade. My countryman. My fellow politician. I would never wish him harm." Sasuke could hear the smile in this politician's voice, so close to playfulness. "No, no, no, no. I want you to rid him of his assistant."

"Not his wife?" Sasuke deadpanned.

"No." Saitou answered shortly but with obvious forethought. "That might anger him enough to take action. If I take his assistant, however, he'll be angry, but he'll also get the message loud and clear. Besides," he said indifferently, "The assistant could be disposed of quite easily, without much fuss. Yes, a much better decision."

Sasuke refrained from snorting. He hadn't any idea if this was in reality a better decision; such things were not in his job description. Saitou was a bloodthirsty cutthroat and whether his decisions were logical or not was up for debate, but at least he thought over his actions first. Some of the people Sasuke worked for were feebleminded fools, their decisions made in the first rush of passion and regretted later. That, however, was not Sasuke's concern either.

"And how will I know the target?"

Saitou paused before circling again, his old papery hands brushing idly against each other. "There will be a rally held in five days' time, all the important people will be there. My rival, of course, and his assistant will certainly be in attendance. It will be so crowded that no one will notice one extra person." He turned quickly and the scent of the garlic from his last meal filled Sasuke's nose along with the market smells of ocean and fish. Saitou paced, his feet sounding in dull echoes along the length of wood planking that made up the floor of the market. Sasuke tilted his head and idly gauged the time it would take for him to span the meter to Saitou's throat. "I can lay the mark in the usual way and you can do whatever it is you do." Fabric rustled quickly as Saitou waved his hands expansively. "A drop of poison, administered discreetly, to make it appear like some innocent disease and the deed is done."

"If it's so simple, why don't you get Sachiko and Toshio to do it? Or better yet, do it yourself?" Sasuke countered, mildly insulted.

Saitou laughed once more, that high-pitched, wheezing, horrible sound. "Don't be ridiculous."

Sasuke looked lazily in Saitou's general direction. "It's not my style," he said decisively, turned and started to walk away.

"Well, if you're going to do it messily," the man called after him, distinguishable through the din of public chatter only by benefit of Sasuke's heightened senses. "You're going to have to clean up afterward. I don't want a mess. And do it quietly."

The man sounded slightly exasperated, but Sasuke didn't care. He was one of the best in the business and they both knew it.

After a moment, the assassin replied. "Very well."

"Here's the information." Saitou strode up, immeasurably pleased. He ran one bare finger up along Sasuke's bicep and slipped the other, with the packet of papers, inside the gaped opening of the assassin's robe. Sasuke pulled his eyebrows together in disapproval. "I know your price, my friend." Sasuke bristled but said nothing. "Make it worth it."

"Half now."

Saitou straightened, irritated, all good humor evaporated. "I'll send it tonight."

The assassin moved closer than he preferred and whispered with the slightest hint of menace, "See that you do." Then he pulled back, a clear indication of the conclusion to their meeting.

Saitou's back went straight with offense, apparently not caring for Sasuke's lack of trust.

But the people Sasuke worked for were all lowlifes regardless their social station and unworthy of respect.

Saitou took a couple steps before turning back. "Oh, and if you insist on being messy, I'll need proof. Something small but recognizable that makes it clear the job is done, hm?" Saitou's mix of arrogance and sweetness encircled Sasuke, more powerful than necessary. "_That's_ your style, now isn't it?"

The man's last remark was condescending, but it wasn't the superior attitude that made the hackles on the back of Sasuke's neck rise in response.

He was _never_ messy.

--

He was gone as if he never existed. The building's proprietor knew better than to remember a dark-haired, pale skinned blind man who occasionally rented a room at his inn.

For his upcoming job, Sasuke took a new room on the other side of town.

All things considered, the accommodations were nice, cramped but clean. Sasuke could smell pine covering up the scent of old wood and decay and he heard the skittering of tiny feet across the floor and in the wall, but it was a far less number than usual. At least the owners of this particular establishment _tried_.

He washed up - the one thing he insisted on was having a personal bathroom – and changed into a more attractive version of his everyday attire. This set was lighter, tighter, less fabric in general, and in an overall blue cast that he knew brought out the blue-black hue of his hair. It's what he wore for going out, for finding a lover.

_Lover._

Sasuke snorted. Such an inappropriate word, "love" had nothing at all to do with it. They were distractions to help take off the edge and nothing more.

He straightened his hair and secured the tie of his belt. Then he secretly stowed a few small weapons on his person, tucking them away where they were readily accessed but not easily noticed.

His katana stayed where it was, lonely atop the narrow threadbare bed. It didn't do to try and waltz around with _that _strapped to his back.

It's not that it scared all the boys away; it's more that it attracted the wrong kind.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 4/26

* * *

Chapter 4

The bar, or club, or den of iniquity, or whatever it was called, was just as second-rate as every other place he'd been this night. It was smoky and stinky and crowded and hot and loud and everything that Sasuke absolutely abhorred. It was also, unfortunately, the best place to find what he was looking for.

He sipped apathetically at his drink, hoping to catch some snippet of a voice he liked or a scent he found interesting. But just as it had been for hours, there was nothing.

Despite its reputation, the place had been a barren wasteland of worthy prospects. There were plenty of men to choose from, that's what these places were for after all, but not a single one was worth the effort. The boy he'd brought home with him the night before had been a huge disappointment and Sasuke had kicked him out immediately after, frustrated and unsatisfied.

The thumping of bodies and scent of sweat and sex permeating the air didn't help.

His luck was no better tonight and he was just about at that point when he was willing to compromise, despite knowing that something substandard could be worse than nothing at all.

He ordered another shochu and briefly considered propositioning the bartender. At least the man smelled all right and had an inoffensive voice, which amongst this lowly set of options was a veritable glowing recommendation.

He just needed something to take the edge off. It was a ritual that helped to ease his body, and therefore his mind as well. He always got anxious before a hit and needed to release a bit of that pent-up energy.

The job was tomorrow and the boy last night had not settled his nerves at all, if anything he had made things worse. The press of bodies around Sasuke felt like the press of tension on his mind and he knew he'd have to do something soon.

If he didn't, more than just the hired hit might have to pay the repercussions.

--

Naruto had lingered too long; he knew that. He'd delivered the scroll yesterday and had only stayed to follow up on rumors that he shouldn't care about in the first place.

There had been no tangible sign of Sasuke thus far. He knew this meant he was unlikely to find any at all and hope had been hard to dredge up these last few years.

Still, he stayed.

The sun had gone down, not that this made much difference as the streets were always lit with all manner of glowing signs and garish flashing lights, seen only as colorful blurry specters in the dense mist. There was an inherent strangeness about the place, a lurking watchfulness in the air itself that followed Naruto wherever he went. The few times he had been to Kirigakure, it had given him the creeps. Even the heat was different, heavy in a way that hung in the air and stuck on the skin.

On the other hand, Kirigakure truly seemed to come to life after dark, with so many lantern lights dancing in the mist, urging wary travelers to follow them home. By comparison, Konoha was a sleepy little town that pretty much shut down with the last rays of the sun.

Naruto frowned and looked up at the sky but saw only the empty darkness of the ever-present fog. There was a moon and stars out there somewhere, but no one could swear it by this sky.

He took a step forward and entered the shadows.

After a while, he got up the courage to ask after Sasuke, approaching as many people as possible. Some of them were friendly, some not so much, but all he received for his effort was a big nothing. He did get a couple of offers for drinks that he politely declined, though he was pleasantly surprised to find friendliness in such a forbidding city.

He tried to keep this in mind as the hours passed by with him slogging from place to place with no positive outcome.

By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, he was leaning idly on the cash counter of a shop and simply going through the motions.

"Looks a lot like a guy you'd find on Red Blossom Ave."

Naruto nodded abstractedly and was about to move on when the words finally registered. He was wide-awake in an instant. "You've seen him?"

The man behind the counter shifted his dark eyes and bent down over his crossed arms. "Now, I didn't say that," he said, smiling at Naruto with a perfect set of white teeth. "This picture here's pretty old." He pressed the tip of his tongue against his upper left canine. "But I've always had a good eye for these things. And he definitely looks one of us."

Naruto raised his eyebrows skeptically but didn't comment. Then he looked down at the faded Team Seven photo and frowned. "But you might have seen him?" He asked this with less enthusiasm the second time.

The man leaned closer and twisted his smile. "Like I said, check Red Blossom Ave. It's worth a shot. And if he's been there, someone will know him." He laughed a strange laugh and straightened up. "You don't soon forget a face like that."

Naruto's eyes glowed with intensity as he stared at the man, his mouth twitching at the sides, refusing to smile or frown or show any emotion whatsoever.

The shopkeeper looked Naruto up and down with growing appreciation. "Or yours," he added, almost purring. He flipped the picture deftly between his fingers and handed it back. "So you know him, do you?"

Naruto carefully took the old photo in his hands and looked at it. "I did."

The man frowned slightly as he concentrated on the young face then brushed nonexistent dust from the countertop. "Too bad," he commented with disappointment, but Naruto was barely listening. The man tilted his head and laughed softly. "But you know, if you don't happen to find him, why don't you come back and visit me? I'd be more than happy to entertain you." Naruto raised his head and smiled vacantly, his mind clearly elsewhere. The elder man considered the attractive young blond standing in his shop and creased his brow. "Are you sure he's worth it?"

Naruto looked the man blatantly in the eye but his attention was somewhere else. "He's my best friend." Then he gingerly replaced the photo to his pocket and bobbed his head once. "Thanks." In the next second, he was going out the door.

The shopkeeper inclined his head in curiosity then craned his neck awkwardly so he could watch as the young man left.

--

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was cursing himself for stupidly dashing off without bothering to get directions first. In the fog, every street looked like Red Blossom Ave. He'd gotten himself completely turned around twice and was ready to rip his hair out when a tall head of blue black materialized out of the haze. Instantly he gave chase, barely sparing a word of apology to the many people he bowled over in his mad pursuit.

But the air was too thick and by the time he reached the place he thought he wanted to be, it no longer looked familiar. Everything looked depressingly the same, cast over with mist and smoke and uncertainty. The village was too crowded as people pushed and pressed their way through the dim streets illuminated only by the small lanterns winking along the walls. He looked at them a long time, those fuzzy little stars hovering close to the ground in their varied array of colors.

After a while, he imagined he saw a pattern to them, a color map that could lead him where he needed to go. They seemed to be grouped in a specific way, each hue indicating a certain type of place on a particular street.

He pondered over it a long time, before finally betting on red.

--

Since downing his second shochu, Sasuke had gotten three offers from giddy, eager, useless boys that he turned down flat and one from an older man that he briefly considered then opted against.

He was being especially wary of any disastrous repeats of the night before. But his fingers had begun to tremble with the strain and he looked as if at any moment he would pop right out of his skin.

He grit his jaw and took a long, deep breath.

Another drink in front of him, Sasuke resolved on one last chance. The next man to approach him was the last one, for good or for bad. He'd gamble on luck, hope the man was not a waste of time, and take him home. Unless he was repulsive, of course.

Time passed and Sasuke threw back the last of his shochu with a heavy sigh. No one else had talked to him; his last four refusals may have kept the rest of them away. He huffed in disappointment and prepared to leave, knowing the best he could hope for was to somehow manage by himself.

Then a prickle of chakra, one he hadn't felt in ages and would have never expected to find here, raced up his spine.

"Sasuke?"

If he were a man of lesser self-control, Sasuke might have fallen out of his seat at the breathy sound of a name he hadn't openly used in years. As it was, he simply turned and faced this half-forgotten man.

He could feel a hot, out-of breath panting on his face, smell the pungency of sweat and spice, and feel the distinct overflow of chakra from days long ago.

The idiot hadn't changed a bit. The power he still hadn't learned to control felt warm, peaceful, and bright as it pulsed against Sasuke's skin.

A slow, feline grin spread across his lips.

"Naruto."

He rolled the name like water over smooth stones and slipped silkily from his stool.

"It _is_ you!" The blond idiot cried, his breath still coming in ragged gasps. The inflection in his voice was unclear.

Sasuke neither confirmed nor denied the statement, instead silently moving close and lifting his hands to Naruto's face. The blonde jerked away, but Sasuke only snorted and took a secure hold of Naruto's jaw. Using his thumbs, followed by his fingers, Sasuke slowly mapped out the contours of eyes and forehead and cheekbones, sharp and soft at once. The wide eyes shut the instant Sasuke's fingers drew over them, finding long soft lashes and rough eyebrows. He ran his thumbs across the round cheeks and the strong line of nose, moving down to lips that were slightly chapped and frowning. Sasuke sketched the edge of those lips, down the jaw, and back to the soft skin behind Naruto's ears. Then he returned to the curved cheeks and carefully traced out each of the distinctive whisker marks, one by one by one. They felt smooth like strands of silk beneath his expert fingertips, a sensation that surprised him.

The left side of Sasuke's mouth quirked up in a smirk as his sightless eyes dimmed oddly.

Naruto roughly grasped Sasuke's wrists beside his face, digging his short nails into the soft parts of skin. "Sasuke," he whispered, a sound hoarse with accusation. But he didn't let go, didn't fight, and didn't leave. He stood and waited, as he had always waited, for Sasuke.

Sasuke's fingers relaxed, slipped from Naruto's face and hands, and fell suddenly but gracefully to his sides.

"Come with me," he commanded in his low, sultry voice.

Naruto scowled. But after watching the phantom man vanish again into the crowd, he did as he was told and followed

--

The edges of Naruto's mouth kept twitching nervously, not knowing what to feel and even less what to reveal. Seven long years and Sasuke had been just sitting there, as if he'd been waiting for someone to find him.

Naruto had to follow.

He trailed slightly behind Sasuke, never taking his eyes from him in case the man decided to run off again and not reappear for another seven years.

Despite the illogical nature of this, Naruto thought it was a definite possibility.

"I can't believe it's you." He said aloud when he couldn't keep silent any longer. "All this time," he grumbled irritably. "And nothing. Not a word or a sign or . . I'd pretty much given up. Then, now, all of a sudden you just show up out of nowhere." Naruto crossed his arms and looked off to the side, his face coloring. He huffed loudly through his nose. "But I'd hoped for so long, against everyone, that I'd see you again." It was a reluctant admission.

"Yes," Sasuke hummed, turning his head only slightly in Naruto's direction. "And here we are."

"Yeah." Naruto put his hands behind his head and tilted it up to the starless sky. He ought to have been happy or sad or angry or anything more concrete than confused, which is what he was. Sasuke was acting completely different than any of the scenarios Naruto had played out in his head. He narrowed his eyes and wondered how he'd find his bearings again with no stars to guide him. "So what have you been doing all this time?"

Sasuke deftly sidestepped some trash in the road.

Naruto stubbed his toe on it and nearly fell flat on his face, unable to make his way in the darkness.

"You have some sort of job, right?" Naruto scrunched up his nose in annoyance at Sasuke's continued silence.

They turned a corner onto the street where Naruto had found the man who'd led him to Sasuke. He smiled at the closed shop as they passed. His craned all the way back, keeping the shop within his sights long after it had melted into the darkness with everything else. When he turned back around, his lips were pressed tight together. "So where have you been, huh?" His voice remained stern. "You could've at least sent a message or something," Naruto berated. "So I'd know you hadn't died."

Sasuke turned again, this time onto an unlit street and without a pause Naruto followed, too mad to act rational.

"But of course you could never do that. That would have been _considerate_." Naruto said caustically. He noticed the lantern lights become fewer and farther between. Then he recalled what Kakashi had told him and leaned in. "You're keeping a bunch of dark secrets, is that it?"

Sasuke turned those sightless eyes down to Naruto and half-smiled, an enigmatic smile from the past and future that promised things Naruto couldn't even imagine.

Naruto faltered on his feet again but quickly regained his balance.

He coughed to cover it up, but Sasuke let out a soft snort that told Naruto just how spectacularly he'd failed in that attempt. The blind man then led them through a nondescript door and into a lobby that had seen better days.

"Y'know, you could say _something_. I know you're not exactly chatty, but there's no reason to be such a bastard either." Naruto glared at the back of Sasuke's head. He curled his hands at his sides tight enough to hurt. "Would you say _something_?" He snapped, more testily than he'd initially intended.

Once more, Sasuke partially faced him with that inscrutable upturn of lip. He made an indistinguishable noise and turned to walk up a short flight of stairs.

Naruto stood alone in the lobby for a minute then chased after Sasuke, clomping up the stairs like an elephant. "Say something, damn it! All this time and . . ." Naruto swallowed thickly, his angry suddenly evaporating into the mist of the city along with all its other best forgotten memories. This time when Naruto spoke, his voice was strained. "Won't you say something?"

Sasuke didn't. Instead, he stood soundlessly at a door that sported an askew number six in tarnished metal. He unlocked it, re-pocketed the keys, and slowly pushed the door open to reveal a stark, sad little room within.

"I missed you," Naruto nearly whined.

Sasuke lifted his head in the open doorway as though examining the contents for the first time. "Did you?" He said at last.

"Yeah." Naruto waited then took a step forward to grab Sasuke's arm. "Sasuke," he pressed, "Is that all you have to say? Won't you tell me anything?" Sasuke turned around to face him and Naruto's arm fell away. "What have you been doing? Where have you been? I hadn't heard from you in so long," he sniffed and added quietly, "I really though you might be dead . . ."

"You missed me, did you?" Sasuke mused quietly.

"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed. Then, his eyes wide, he finally took notice of his surroundings. "Hey, where are we?"

Sasuke chuckled dryly and leaned forward. "My room."

"Your . . . room?" Naruto stepped forward and leaned around Sasuke to fully take in the condition of said room. He scrunched up his nose in distaste. "You don't live _here_ do you? I mean, you have an actual home, right? 'Cause this place is . . "

"I live many places," Sasuke interrupted. "Different villages, different countries, different lives. Tonight, I am here." He leaned in so close that their skin almost touched. "As are you."

"Uh, yeah. O.K." Naruto's eyes flicked up to Sasuke's blind ones, deep and dark in the half-light and suddenly felt nervous. He stumbled back, hitting the wall behind him and having nowhere further to go. "Uh, Sasuke, what the hell's wrong with you? You're acting really weird . . ."

Sasuke lifted his hand to the side of Naruto's head and let one finger languidly caress the edge of an ear. Naruto's eyes went so wide that the blue was entirely surrounded by white. "What do you think?" Sasuke tilted his head like a cat. "Why are _you_ here, hm?" He leaned in so close that the edges of their cheeks grazed each other. "Naruto." He breathed the name, accentuating each syllable with a warm puff of air over the sensitive shell of Naruto's ear.

Naruto yanked his head and banged it hard against the solid, unforgiving wall. He dug his fingers into the splintered wood beneath them. All of a sudden he couldn't seem to breathe and his heart had leapt right into his throat. "Sasuke, what - ?"

Sasuke hummed deep in his chest and against Naruto's skin, exhaling heavily over the tanned jaw and down Naruto's neck to his collarbone. Naruto gasped in surprise and clutched the front of Sasuke's shirt, peeling tight fabric from pale skin. "What do you think you're doing?" The blonde protested and tried to push Sasuke away. But it was a feeble attempt; Sasuke was much more substantial than the children Naruto was used to dealing with.

"I can show you why you're here," Sasuke whispered into the hollow of Naruto's throat, ignoring any protests. He trailed his hand down the swell of Naruto's shoulder, over the outward curve of his jacketed chest and to his waist. Naruto grit his teeth hard, took in a shrill breath and tried to become one with the wall. Then Sasuke gradually slipped his hand beneath the jacket's hem, meeting bare skin to bare skin and nothing in between. His hand was hot and smooth against the coolness of Naruto's belly. Naruto wheezed and arched involuntarily, his hands straining white with the grip on Sasuke's shirt.

"Do you want me to show you?" Sasuke asked, his lips now only centimeters away from Naruto's. The blonde squeezed his eyes shut and slammed his head against the wall again and again. Sasuke moved his free hand to the back of Naruto's head to stop him.

He smirked, then drew the tip of his tongue lightly along Naruto's throat to his ear and slowly slid his hand up over his ribs until the tip of his thumb grazed the edge of a nipple.

Naruto jerked convulsively. "Wait . . ."

Sasuke did not wait, instead murmuring into Naruto's ear. "Don't you want to see what I can make you do?" He rolled his thumb lazily before sliding around to Naruto's spine. His fingers traced delicately downward until they reached the small curve of back. "Don't you want to find out how I can make you scream?"

"Scream?" Naruto asked shakily in a voice not his own. Every muscle, every tendon in his body had pulled taut. His heart was hammering so loudly that he could barely hear or think over it.

Sasuke pressed further, pushing his fingers just barely below the waistband of Naruto's pants. "Don't you?" He enticed.

Naruto's body trembled unwillingly, his every nerve ignited and his brain turning to jelly.

Sasuke hummed, the sound vibrating over Naruto's skin, playing him like a finely tuned instrument, a wordless invitation to go somewhere Naruto would never have thought to go.

Not without Sasuke.

"Well? Naruto?" Again with the soft alluring roll of his name. "Don't you?"

Naruto let out a long unrestrained whine, meant to be an objection.

"Yes."

Sasuke's smirk widened and he pried one of Naruto's hands free from his shirt, lacing their fingers together, the dark and the light, in a way that seemed far too intimate.

Naruto finally opened his eyes and looked into Sasuke's bottomless blind ones that almost, but not quite, looked back.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 5/26

* * *

Chapter 5

The ceiling didn't even qualify as a magic eight ball for the usefulness of dispensing answers. Naruto pursed his lips and rolled onto his side.

In the light of the moon spilling in through the window, he saw a long white back, alabaster against old sheets, and silky black hair that fell gently over the pillowcase. He stared at it and helplessly remembered the fingers that explored every last corner of his body with slow and curious deliberation. He remembered the lips and teeth and tongue that followed them, nipping and licking along his skin, raising goose bumps as well as other deeper things. He thought of breath warm and wet over his neck and chest, and the long stray strands of hair that tickled him. He thought of strong arms and legs and the rhythm of them together, of unexpectedness and the way his breath came short and long, short and long, until he forgot how to breathe altogether.

He reached over and ran his fingertip gently down the indentation of spine.

Hinata shifted her shoulder and mumbled quietly in her sleep.

He yanked his hand back and violently turned over, squeezing his eyes shut.

He couldn't.

He couldn't take advantage of her when he was hard over _him_.

He grabbed the sheet beside his head in a death grip and let it collect the sweat that trickled off his face.

The images, the sensations of that night replayed unwanted in his mind over and over until he could feel heat begin to coil deep down in his belly. He hadn't understood at the time, couldn't believe the truth until it was too late. He couldn't see what was right in front of him because he would never have been able to see it to start with.

All he could see was Sasuke.

Maybe he _was_ too innocent.

And it wasn't Sasuke's fault. There were many times when he said it wasn't Sasuke's fault and everyone knew, Naruto included, that it was _absolutely Sasuke's fault._

But this time when he said it wasn't Sasuke's fault, it really wasn't.

It was his.

There were so many things he could have done.

He could have stopped things, said he just wanted to talk, or start a fight or just plain not followed like the big dumb puppy he was.

He should have said he had a wife.

But he'd forgotten about her.

Instead, he'd just let Sasuke . . .

More than let.

Naruto buried his head in his pillow and screamed.

Hinata stirred, her movement shifting his side of the bed too, and asked sleepily, "Naruto-kun, are you all right?"

Blue eyes popped open wide as he lifted his head from his traitorous pillow. "Y-yeah," he stammered. "Yeah, I'm fine,"

A small, soft hand touched his shoulder in comfort.

Immediately, he sat up straight and threw the too warm covers off of him. "Everything's fine. I'm just – I –"He struggled to find the right words. "I had a bad dream, that's all." He'd had them before.

"Oh," his wife said and pulled up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his bare torso and gingerly set her chin on his shoulder. "Dreams are just dreams. All those things are in the past," she said consolingly. "Lie back down." She gently rubbed his belly with her small soft hands.

Naruto stood abruptly, making Hinata release a little gasp and he was sorry about that, but he had to get away. "No," he said, quickly pulling on a pair of pants. "I'm too hyper to sleep now. I'm just going to go for a walk or something."

"It's awfully late," Hinata observed worriedly. "You'll need your rest for the kids tomorrow."

Naruto yanked a shirt down over his head. "It'll be fine." He dropped to his hands and knees and felt around in the darkness for his shoes.

There was a thoughtful pause then Hinata said, "I'll come with you."

In a panic, Naruto snatched up his sandals - having found them at last – and scrambled up and over the bed until he reached her. He put a gentle but restraining hand on Hinata's back. His smile was soft when she twisted her head over her creamy, flawless shoulder to look back at him. "No, please. Go back to sleep. It's nothing, really. I just need to clear my head a little, that's all." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss and an encouraging grin.

Hinata looked him over and quietly acquiesced.

Then Naruto jumped from the bed and left, throwing his shoes on the moment before he bolted out the door.

--

It was two thirty in the morning when Naruto last checked the time and as he walked down the dusty roads, it felt like the city was dead. Not a single soul besides him was out, not even a stray cat. It was quiet in a way he found newly unsettling after being part of Kirigakure, which would still be buzzing for hours to come.

Of course, the last time he was awake at two-thirty in the morning, it was in a completely different venue. In an old, rundown hotel room.

With Sasuke.

He halted abruptly and shook his head, followed by his whole body like a dog clearing itself of water.

He dropped his head back and looked up at the moon, full and round and shining its pale reflected light down onto him. He could count the stars if he wanted to, so many that it would take several lifetimes to get through them all. With a sigh, he shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking. When he came to a stopping point, he found that he'd unintentionally led himself to the lake, black and featureless in the night but for the mirrored circle of moon.

He contemplated the image in the still surface for a long time.

It was blurred at the edges, slightly warped on the water but recognizable.

He stripped off his clothes in a sudden frantic rush and dove into the water completely nude. There was no one to see and therefore no reason to be self-conscious. Not like before, when no one could actually see him and yet he'd still flushed with embarrassment. He had looked down the length of his body and seen his own unexpected reaction as he watched Sasuke strip in full view without the slightest qualm. Sasuke had even given a sexy little shake of his head to straighten his hair after pulling his shirt off. He hadn't been ashamed in the least.

Not that he'd had any reason to be . . .

Naruto ducked his head beneath the cool surface of the water. It enveloped him, chilling his skin then gradually becoming warmer as he grew accustomed to it. He stayed submerged until his lungs were ready to burst then rose quickly to the surface in an explosion of big amorphous bubbles. Just as the lake had done moments before, the night air shocked him on first contact. Greedily, he gulped air into his lungs while he continued treading water. Once he felt death was no longer imminent, he let his body relax and floated lazily up onto his back. The water lapped and caressed the sides of his face as he languidly bobbed in it, expending only just enough energy to prevent drowning.

At least he was no longer hard.

He decided, right at that moment floating alone in the water and looking up at the dark Konoha sky, that it couldn't have been an entirely horrible thing. It was a mistake, but it had felt natural too, at the time. And he'd succeeded in finding Sasuke and that's all he'd meant to do. He could remove it from the failure file.

Naruto flushed.

Kakashi couldn't have been more wrong.

He impelled himself gently through the water.

No one needed to know, especially not Hinata. It hadn't meant anything. It was just a momentary lapse in judgment based on overwhelming emotion; it could have happened to anyone.

Besides, Sasuke had only been after one thing. It hadn't meant anything to him either.

He groaned, dipped under the water again and swam to the edge of the lake. Still dripping wet, he threw himself to the ground and lay in the grass to dry off.

The stars looked like blinking guideposts, showing him the way to his proper future. He could see ancient stories up there in the pattern of lights, and new ones not yet written.

And he made himself swear a solemn promise not to look for Sasuke anymore; that work was over and done with and not to be thought of again.

There as a future here to think of instead.

With this in mind, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

His dreams were erratic and confused, awhirl with colored flames dancing in the darkness, all gradually turning to red and leading him down to the depths of the world.

--

He'd nearly had a heart attack when he woke to the sunrise and realized he was still lying naked in the grass. Hurriedly, he snatched up his clothes and threw them on, all the while taking a quick scan of the immediate area. But no one else was out and about just yet in sleepy Konoha, except perhaps for the watchful ninjas he couldn't see.

The sun was big and orange – his favorite color – and just beginning to peek up over the far distant trees. Naruto shaded his eyes, watched the slow rise of the sun, and smiled.

It was a good sign.

When he got home breakfast was ready despite the hour. From the kitchen, Hinata turned to him and smiled, the fish still sizzling on the stove. Naruto grinned awkwardly at first but then brightened, giving his wife the full glow of his affection. She tried to return it, but the expression got caught up in a yawn that she delicately covered with her hand. Naruto rushed to her, taking control of the cooking.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "You should still be asleep. I didn't mean to keep you up."

Hinata shook her head in negation, but Naruto quickly guided her to the table and sat her down.

"You stay there," he commanded in a friendly tone. "I got this."

It didn't take Naruto long to finish, and soon he set the table for both of them, sitting opposite Hinata and watching her carefully, prepared to prevent her from falling face first into her soup.

They ate in silence for a while and Naruto felt a strange heaviness in the air that hadn't been there before.

Hinata picked thoughtfully at her fish for a while, too tired or preoccupied to eat. She carefully set her chopsticks across the plate and dropped her hands to her lap.

There was a long pause. Naruto watched her as he continued to eat, barely tasting his food.

Then Hinata lifted her face and looked at him, her eyes soft and sympathetic. "It's Sasuke," she finally said. "Isn't it?"

The air went still. Naruto stopped his chopsticks halfway to his mouth then slowly lowered them back to the mound of rice.

"You didn't find him, did you?" Hinata reached over and placed both her hands over his one. They barely covered it.

Naruto stared at his bowl, white with the many tiny white grains melding into one, for what seemed like a very long time. Then he glanced over to his wife's clasped hands, small and white over his.

"No," he answered at last. "I didn't."

And when he next swallowed a spoonful of rice, it tasted like ashes.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 6/26

* * *

Chapter 6

This illustrious event Sasuke was forced to follow was going on for an eternity. Nearly five hours had passed since he'd sensed Saitou enter. The tag should have been placed on the assistant by now but no one had appeared yet with the telltale sign. While all that time passed, Sasuke had crouched high up on the roof of the adjacent building, impatiently cooling his heels.

He lazily sharpened the blade of his katana as he waited, pulling languorously along the length of it, a practice he found therapeutic. After a while, he began to wonder if Saitou had completed his half of the bargain. A self-serving, bloodthirsty weasel like Saitou would have no misgivings about turning on Sasuke, for reasons entirely his own. But then Sasuke reconsidered; such action wouldn't be in Saitou's own best interest.

Finally tiring of his habitual action, Sasuke replaced the katana to its scabbard, enjoying the sharply metallic slide it made going through. It clicked into the end cleanly with a beautiful sharp snap.

He settled back on his haunches and listened briefly to the gossiping masses in the street below. Had he the interest or inclination to sort through the names and innuendos, there was probably a treasure trove of valuable blackmail material free for the taking. But such things were not part of his job, so he let the muffled sounds roll by him like background music.

Still high from sex with Naruto, he felt a strange mix of contentment and anxiety. The blonde wasn't there when he awoke, but that was no more than Sasuke had expected. Naruto had been a bit freaked out; a not entirely unreasonable reaction considering it had obviously been his first time.

Sasuke smiled to himself and straightened his back. He found a strange pleasure in realizing that fact, even though he normally hated breaking anyone in.

But Naruto had been different from the men Sasuke usually took home. Nervous at first, dazed, and weirdly compliant, but never completely submissive. He had reacted beautifully. And unlike a lot of the stupid boys Sasuke slept with, he'd not been altogether passive. He'd pulled and pushed and grabbed and tugged and probably would have screamed as Sasuke had promised, if Sasuke hadn't covered his mouth with his hand. Then Naruto bit down and his teeth broke right through skin.

The assassin hummed lightly to himself and let out a short breath.

He still had the claw marks on his back.

He squeezed his hands together to stop the trembling.

Then his head jerked up in recognition. Finally the target had left the party. Since he had designed these particular chakra tags himself, there was no way Sasuke could mistake one. It was a signature, but not one anyone could trace.

He waited a moment until the target split off from the crowd then followed silently across the rooftops. He needed to delay until the target was alone; the work was best done without witnesses.

This person, however, was an imbecile, a lucky break for Sasuke that made his job easier. The target practically held up a sign advertising for someone to come and get them. They had no guards, no friends, not even a sense of logical self-preservation, instead choosing to take solitary nighttime strolls through unlit back streets.

Deep and silent within the concealing fog Sasuke remained unnoticed by the target. Sighted people relied so much on their eyes that they often missed what was right in front of their faces.

No one else within the city block seemed to be awake. They had traveled too deep into the residential area and it was too far into the night for most people to be up. Knowing the time was ripe, Sasuke leapt down from the roof and landed directly in front of his prey. She started to scream at the sudden manifestation, but Sasuke quickly covered her mouth so all that could be heard was a short, incoherent noise. He drew his katana from the scabbard and drove it cleanly through her heart with one thrust. He waited motionless until he felt the flicker of her final heartbeat and the last of her breath against his palm. Before she could fall and bleed evidence all over the street, he cauterized the wound with a fire jutsu on the blade as he drew it out. Then he picked up her lifeless body and absconded with it into the night.

Not a soul outside had stirred.

Once he reached a safe distance he retrieved his tag, effectively erasing any sign of his involvement, not that anyone could have traced it. He was no longer in the system, or rather he was so long in it that no one remembered him anymore.

Kneeling down, he felt over her face for any distinguishing marks that would sufficiently identify her. She was pretty, that was all; there was nothing special about her. Without the whole head, no part of her face was uniquely notable. He could take the eyes, but he had no reason to think they were in any way distinctive.

Hands were better. Hands said a lot about a person and were generally easier to recognize.

He pulled out a knife and sliced the hand off, using the same fire technique as before, taking his proof as easily and neatly as slicing through clay.

_He was never messy._

He decided to take an eye as well, just for insurance. Feeling back over to the socket, he slowly and carefully collected chakra to his fingertips and pressed them in beside the eyeball. It came out whole and perfect, the long nerve extending out like the melting tail of a comet. He regarded the organ with his blindness before stowing it away and smirking with satisfaction.

Orochimaru wasn't the only one he'd learned from in Sound.

--

He thoroughly disposed of the remainder of the body and any vestige of his passing before taking his twofold parcel to Saitou.

As always, his passage into the heavily protected residence went undetected and Saitou's "expensive" guards never knew he was there.

There was a reason Sasuke was "very expensive".

He set the package on Saitou's desk, took a seat in the throne-like chair, and waited. It was hours before the man would return home, but through his long days of blindness Sasuke had learned how to wait.

The scent of Saitou reached the room before the man did. "Is it done?" The man didn't appear surprised to find Sasuke waiting for him.

The assassin turned his head towards the voice and let his sightless eyes go hooded with disdain.

"Ah, yes," the man observed dryly as he circled his desk. Sasuke's head slowly followed him, his eyes almost acting as if they could see. He heard the sound of string snapping and paper rustling as the package was opened, followed by Saitou's perusal and subsequent dismissal of the objects inside.

"Very good, my friend," Saitou continued and pulled out one of the large drawers of his desk directly by Sasuke's leg. The thunk of a hefty stack of paper announced the arrival of the outstanding payment. The assassin stood up, took the stack, and carefully hid it away in the folds of his robe. At least with Saitou, he didn't feel the need to count it. With their longstanding partnership, the man knew better than try anything that would lead to his inevitable demise.

His business done, Sasuke brushed by and headed to the open window.

Just before exiting, he heard the sound of something dragging languidly across the desk and being lifted it up. There was a pause, pregnant and thoughtful.

After a moment Saitou said, "She had beautiful eyes, didn't she?" His voice held an eerie dreamlike quality.

Sasuke leapt onto the window ledge. "I wouldn't know," he remarked impassively.

"No," the man mused. "I guess you wouldn't."

--

Sasuke pulled his shirt down over his head, annoyed at the stickiness of sweat on his skin and now his shirt as well. He could smell himself and this other nameless man all over his clothing. Now they'd need to be laundered, possibly burned. He felt around the floor for his keys, which had been haphazardly tossed aside in the middle of everything and grumbled when he found them, stuffing them into his pocket.

The sweet scent of smoke filled his nose in a way he didn't like and he tried in vain to wave it away with his free hand.

"So," the man lying lazily in the bed asked, "Did that blond boy ever find you?"

Sasuke paused momentarily then began strapping on his sandals. "What would you know about him?"

"Oh, nothing much," The older man blew a long puff of smoke straight over the brunette's back, which offended him in a way similar to nails on a chalkboard. "Just that he was in the shop asking after you. Had an old photo." The man informed him. "You were a cute kid." The shop owner waited a little bit again and flicked ash on the bed sheets. Sasuke heard each little particle land like an anvil. The man took another long drag off his cigar then said offhandedly, "I told him where I thought you might be."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at nothing, did the last of the buckles and stood.

"Yeah," the man continued, much to Sasuke's annoyance. "I wouldn't have minded getting him in bed either; he was a sweet thing."

Sasuke took up his small pack and secured it tightly to his back. "I don't think he'd like that," he said lowly, without any apparent interest.

The man nodded, the cigar bouncing in his teeth dangerously, and hummed a nonverbal agreement.

The man watched in silent appreciation as Sasuke headed for the door with the graceful and deadly movements of a man who could silently snuff out a life like it was an everyday occurrence. The elder man was so entranced that the cigar in his hand finally reasserted its presence by burning the edges of his fingers. Sasuke could smell the distinct odor of burning flesh mixing in with everything else to make an unpleasant bouquet. The man swore then sucked on the fingers, before speaking again. There was curiosity than fear in the man's voice when he asked, "I guess the sweet little thing found you then?"

Sasuke inclined his head vaguely towards the inside of the room and let the side of his mouth curl up the tiniest bit.

Then he left without a word.

--

The weather was as fine as it was like to be for the next couple of days that Sasuke stayed in the misty city. He had spent it alone in his rented room, quietly counting his money as he relived recent events. The job had been neat, quick, and easy, and had earned him a pocket bursting with cash. Now he could finally go home.

About the only thing left to make it perfect would have been more sex with Naruto.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 7/26

* * *

Chapter 7

"Hey there."

Naruto almost shrieked like a little girl when Sakura snuck up behind him, but he managed to reign in that impulse and just scowled fiercely instead. He just barely caught the kunai that had flung accidentally from his hands. "You could've just gotten killed. Seriously."

Sakura made a "pfft" sound and rolled her eyes skyward.

She then gave him a bemused look and with a self-satisfied air slid into the seat opposite him. Naruto followed her movement closely with a frown. The woman continued to smile at him as if she knew things he did not, or at least things that he didn't want her to know. His frown faltered and he was forced to look away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura's smile grow smug, so he grumbled and sighed and turned back to her, his face placid. He'd grown up; he could play these games now too.

"So," Sakura said, her grin wide and so very haughty, "I heard you had a little mission." She drummed her fingers on the table, her long nails clicking and flashing in the light. The sun was directly behind her, framing her head in a yellow glow and turning the edges of her hair from pink to white. "I take it you didn't have any luck."

Naruto's face flushed when the word "luck" conjured all kinds of strange thoughts to his mind. "Luck with what?" He asked with phony incomprehension, picking up his weapon polishing again.

Sakura pursed her lips in disapproval. "Don't try that with me," she warned. "I've known you too long." She waved her hand dismissively beside her face and the sun appeared and disappeared behind it like a magic trick. "Besides, I already talked to Kiba."

The sharpening stone rasped against the knife blade as it slipped off. "And?"

"And," Sakura stated impatiently, "He'd been talking with Hinata. So your secret's out. Stop pretending."

Naruto's jaw hurt from clenching, but he managed to remain otherwise composed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he refuted. Giving up the fight, he carefully rolled his knives back up and stowed them.

Sakura's expression was strained, her lips clamped so tightly together that they practically disappeared. Her hand was fisted like she was going to hit Naruto, but all she did was pound the edge of it into the table. "I miss him too," she said and it was surprisingly gentle. "But it's been seven years." She pressed her fist down so hard that a crack formed in the tabletop. "Seven years," she repeated with emphasis, as if Naruto had questioned it.

His demeanor was utterly calm when he responded. "I know how long it's been."

"Well," she began slowly, "Maybe it's time to let go."

He turned away and saw the first flowers of spring beginning to bloom at the base of a large tree. They were yellow and white and purple, bright against the dark brown of bark, with not a speck of red at all.

"You might fool everyone else," Sakura began again with a strange hitch in her voice. "But not me. I've heard all about the rumors you were chasing." She paused. "But what you're chasing is a ghost. It doesn't exist."

"I don't care." Naruto said with conviction and focused his fierce blue stare back at her.

Sakura pursed her lips; she was a woman not easily cowed. "You need to face facts. You're not going to find him. And it wouldn't make a difference anyway. This is _Sasuke _we're talking about. Besides, you have Hinata now and –"

"That's not what I meant," Naruto interjected. Sakura stopped with her mouth still open and blinked. Naruto's whole body sagged weakly, folding into the table, and his gaze shifted blearily out into the distance. "I mean I don't care about Sasuke anymore."

Sakura jerked back slightly in surprise. "What?"

Naruto instantly straightened up and leaned close to her. "It's not that I don't care anymore exactly," he hedged awkwardly. "I mean, I don't care about _finding_ him anymore." He shrugged helplessly.

Sakura tried to put on a smile but it soured into a confused sort of grimace instead. "Are you serious?"

Naruto nodded.

"You're not just trying to placate me?"

Naruto snorted. "Like I ever could."

Sakura punched him.

Naruto laughed without mirth and rubbed the spot as though it hurt more than it did. "I'm sure."

Sakura frowned at him, thinking for a long time. Uncomfortably, Naruto gave a pathetic little half-smile and studied his hands.

The woman continued to study him then swallowed with the force of her own emotions. "It's," she began hesitantly, "It's for the best."

"Yeah," Naruto replied and raised his face with an expression that clarified nothing.

"O.K. If you're sure," Sakura accepted, but warily. She curved her lips into what she knew made a smile but her brows creased in confusion. For years, she had alternately supported and argued with Naruto over Sasuke. Now that it finally seemed to be at an end, she didn't feel better.

There was no closure in Naruto's submission, only emptiness.

--

The reception area of Hokage Tower hadn't changed since the days the Third resided there except that now his grandson stood studious watch at the door instead of Ebisu or Shizune. The young man looked up from what he was doing at the sound of footsteps. He grinned. "You're pretty popular lately."

Naruto thinned his lips uncharacteristically. "Don't remind me."

Konohamaru laughed good naturedly, but didn't ask for explanations. He just stood up, poked his head through the office door and announced Naruto's arrival.

Then he turned back and nodded the man in. "Good luck!" He called after him with a cheeky grin.

Naruto didn't dignify that with a response.

Kakashi was sitting behind his desk with the same roguish grin he had at every other hour of every other day. Naruto stopped just in front of him with a calm, if confused, expression. "Good afternoon, Naruto," Kakashi said.

"Hokage-sama." Naruto replied by way of both greeting and question.

Kakashi stood from his chair and pulled an ordinary sheet of paper from the pile on his desk, accidentally knocking two volumes of Icha Icha Paradise onto the floor with a thud. Naruto stifled a laugh as the revered Hokage flinched when he saw one of them had landed with the precious spine cracking open. A few moments later, Naruto couldn't restrain the snort as the older man sidled over, not very covertly, and used his toe to set the book to rights.

Kakashi coughed and turned back to his subordinate with a serious look.

Naruto bit his lip to hold back a smile.

The Hokage went on as if Icha Icha didn't exist in his world. "I received an interesting request today."

Assuming this was the prompt for him to show curiosity, Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to know what it is?" The paper in Kakashi's hand made a figure eight in the air.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "What is it?"

Kakashi grinned so long that the blonde grew nervous. Only then did the elder man snap the paper importantly and read it as though he didn't already know its contents. "It comes from a neighboring lesser lord who will be traveling from Konoha back to his hometown." He paused dramatically, but if he was expecting some sort of reaction from Naruto, he was sorely disappointed. "Apparently the trip here made him nervous – you know how these delicate types are – and he doesn't consider his personal guard up for the task." He paused again. "He heard some interesting things about a certain blonde ninja, resident of Konoha, toad sage and troublemaker –"

"Troublemaker?"

"Former," Kakashi appeased. "And he specifically requested to have this very special ninja to protect him on his return journey."

Naruto thought about it a moment. He'd been home for a while, basking in its comforts and he wasn't sure he wanted to leave now. "It sounds kind of boring," he finally said. "Why would he need me?"

The Hokage smiled. "Because he asked." Naruto looked at him doubtfully. "Because it would make him feel better. These lordly types tend to be skittish about travel to foreign places; they think that everyone is somehow, for some reason, out to get them. True or not, he has asked specifically for you and is willing to pay a high price to get you. So, what do you say? If nothing else, it's a change of pace from your usual assignments."

Naruto scrunched up his face in thought. "Change of pace doesn't necessarily mean better."

"That's true," Kakashi conceded. "But it's a lot of money for easy work. It could help get you and Hinata set up."

Naruto tilted his head, considering. If they were to start the family they intended he and Hinata could definitely use a bigger place, something more permanent. A home of their own.

And a new start.

After a while, Kakashi finally tired of waiting. "So, do you want it?"

"Yes," Naruto said with a firm nod. "I do."

--

As expected, the mission went off without a hitch. Even though they had run into no serious trouble, the lord had been ridiculously grateful. For some reason, the man was absolutely convinced that their easy passage was all due to Naruto's magnificent presence. Naruto tried to correct him, but after fifteen minutes he gave up and simply took the thanks and the considerable payment and went on his way.

He could think of a thousand things they could do with the money, he and Hinata. She would be so pleased.

In celebration, he went to a local ramen stand. He didn't think it was as good as Ichiraku's, and he was an expert so he ought to know.

He was happily gulping down his second bowl and thinking about he'd enjoyed his short stay in the outskirts of Snow Country. It was different form his home, colder and sparser, but different was sometimes nice. The sun still shone here, especially bright as it reflected off the snowfall that still covered the ground. Naruto paid his bill and was about to go to his room for the night, when something unexpected caught his attention.

"You must be as blind as he was if you think he would ever go for you," an unknown man chided. A woman made a disappointed noise beside him. "You've got the wrong parts. Didn't you see where he was heading?"

When the woman answered in the negative, the man named a place Naruto had never heard of before moving on to other, more important matters.

There was no good reason for Naruto to have taken notice of that exchange of words. And it felt like more than a little bit of a coincidence that he should be at that specific place at that specific time to hear that particular information.

Nonetheless, his stomach had done an unmistakable little flip.

He left the stand, went out into the street and tried to turn his mind to other things.

The snow crunched under his feet as he walked, leaving the heavy impression of his shoes along with innumerable others. So many people had traveled this way that his footprints were no more distinguishable than anyone else's.

When he got to his room, he recounted his money and did a few figures in his head. It would be enough to buy a new future. And that's what he adamantly though about as the tiring work of the day finally had its effect on him: Hinata, a house, and a family. He did not think about mysterious blind men at all. He threw himself onto the bed, closed his eyes and almost instantly fell to sleep.

His dreams were of a large house, with many floors and hundreds of doors lining hallways that stretched on forever. He turned to the left and opened a door at random. Inside, the room was dim, with shadows indistinguishable one from the other. But also inside that room were hands and fingers and warmth like fire that made him sweat even in the coolness of the night.

And he knew, without really knowing, that he was going to break his vow.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 8/26

* * *

Chapter 8

The night had started out calmly enough with Naruto telling himself that he was only going out for a walk to work off some of his excess energy.

What actually happened is that he went bar hopping. When he went into the first bar he had no intentions other than to get inside where it was warmer and while he was there, it only seemed polite to order a drink. He perused the clientele with no apparent interest for a while but soon grew bored and left. The next bar was much the same thing: warmth, politeness and perusal. It went on like this, typical bar one after another until he'd lost count of how many he'd visited. Not being used to so much alcohol in so short a time, it didn't take long for Naruto to become more than a little tipsy.

Once he'd reached that point, he simply let his body take over to move without encumbrance of mind.

So it was purely by accident that the place he ended up in was the same one whose name he'd heard for the first time earlier that night. He stumbled slightly when he walked in and his eyes must have been as wide and shaky as they felt if the looks he was getting were any indication. But by that time, his common sense had completely fled, along with any sense of propriety so it didn't bother him much. He lurched his way clumsily through the overflowing mass of people, the music thumping in his chest as if it was his heart. His breath had become ragged with exertion and he actually began pulling at his hair in utter frustration. The room was spinning, and he along with it, and he knew he had to sit down before he fell.

He turned around quickly and bumped smack into someone, nearly toppling over right there.

"Sorry," he mumbled, ducking his head guiltily and tried to make his staggering way around this newest obstacle.

"Seems like you're looking for someone."

Naruto's eyes shot open wide as he raised his head. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke tilted his head and snorted, his expression a little too self-satisfied without reason. "Idiot."

Naruto crinkled his eyebrows and punched his finger several times into Sasuke's chest. " 'm not an idiot," he slurred faintly. "And you're a jerk."

Sasuke leaned down and sniffed delicately. The blonde tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go so he only made it about a half meter.

"You're drunk," Sasuke informed him nonchalantly.

"Am not," Naruto protested and shook his head vigorously. Then he put a hand to that head and groaned.

Sasuke snorted.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Naruto stammered quickly. "Look, it's good I found you."

"So you were looking for me?"

Sasuke sounded overly amused for Naruto's taste and smelled too much like lemons. Naruto twisted his mouth into a frown and Sasuke just smirked deeper, as if he could actually see and was faking the whole "blind" thing. "Yeah, don't get any ideas," Naruto glowered even as Sasuke lifted his eyebrow in feigned innocence. "I just wanted you to know that what happened last time," he tried in vain to fight the blush that rose to his cheeks and failed, "Won't be happening again."

Sasuke stepped closer and Naruto stepped back, ending up on the heels on someone who didn't appreciate it one bit. "Is that so?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Naruto looked around nervously for some sort of exit and realized far too late that he had fenced himself into an uncooperative crowd.

"You came all the way here," Sasuke was so close now that they shared the same breath, "Searched through all those places," he leaned his head in until their noses almost bumped, "Just to tell me we can't do what we did last time?"

Naruto swallowed noisily. "I didn't search all those places."

Sasuke canted his head to the right. "So you got this drunk here?"

"No," Naruto objected then shook his head shortly and instantly regretted it. "Look, it doesn't matter. Now, I've told you the situation, so that's it. O.K? O.K." He was finding it hard to concentrate when Sasuke was that close so he leaned awkwardly away. "So I should go."

Sasuke slid his hand deftly around Naruto's waist as if it belonged there. "Well, that's an idea."

"It's not an idea," Naruto pouted. He took another quick look around the room and tried to pry Sasuke's arm off. "I told you, it's not going to happen."

"And why not?"

This was a very good question. And Naruto knew the answer. But at the moment, for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was. "Because . ." He said lamely.

Sasuke tilted his head further and smiled. He hummed lowly, and as close as he was to Naruto, the sound vibrated through the tanned skin all the way down to the tips of his toes.

"Look," Naruto continued breathlessly, his eyes anxiously darting away from the proximity of Sasuke's face. "I told you, we aren't . . ."

But then Sasuke softly placed the tip of his finger on Naruto's lips to silence him. He slid the finger downward until it pulled slightly on the lower lip and Naruto released an alcohol-scented breath. Naruto tried to protest again but in the next instant Sasuke's finger was replaced by his mouth. In the far reached of his mind, Naruto vaguely registered that Sasuke had refused to do this the last time. But then Sasuke's tongue was in his mouth, caressing Naruto's and making the blond feel things he know he shouldn't. Naruto's eyes opened wide in shock and he noticed with a strange sort of detachment that Sasuke's eyes were closed. Then he fully realized that Sasuke was kissing him and this was _not_ something that was supposed to happen.

Naruto pressed both his hands to the man's chest and tried to forcefully push him off. But it was halfhearted at best and Sasuke was not about to be moved. Instead, he grasped Naruto's wrists and shoved them behind the blonde's back, never stopping in his assault. The blond struggled a little more but Sasuke just continued, sliding his tongue against Naruto's, along his teeth, and the roof of his mouth. And soon not only was Naruto not fighting anymore, but he was kissing Sasuke back.

Finally, Sasuke released him so that they could take a couple of quick, deep breaths. Naruto stared dazedly at the blurry shapes in front of him, with the taste of liquor and Sasuke melding delightedly on his tongue. Sasuke just smirked with a strangely smug and bewildered look before titling his head the other way to attack Naruto again. This time there was no hesitation on Naruto's part. He quickly took control of the kiss, exploring Sasuke's mouth and the distinctiveness of his taste. His hands curled tight into fists, still behind his back as he arched up, his head bending backward with the force of Sasuke's kiss and the press of their joined hands. Only the need to breathe again separated them and they once again pulled apart, breathing hard, heavy, and fast. Naruto blinked fuzzily. When he'd regained a little bit of his sense, he looked around and noticed that more than a few of the people nearby were staring openly at them. He blushed furiously and buried his head in the crook of Sasuke's neck, warm and slightly damp with sweat. Sasuke turned his head into Naruto's and whispered, a little breathless himself, "Not the same as last time," and kissed the soft skin just below Naruto's ear. It was an oddly personal action.

The simple touch caused a shiver to race down Naruto's spine and his heart to speed up, which was already beating far too fast. His clouded mind grew cloudier still until the only coherence he had was focused on how blissfully tight and pleasant he felt.

Then his stomach grumbled.

There was a short pause then Sasuke chuckled quietly into Naruto's hair as the blond flushed crimson in embarrassment.

Sasuke pulled away, let go of one of Naruto's hands and tugged on the other. "Come on," he said, and wanting to be just about anywhere else but at the center of too interested attention, Naruto willingly obeyed.

--

Naruto ate voraciously, shoveling food into his mouth chopstick-full after chopstick-full, which had the added effect that he couldn't speak. This gave him a little time in which to think and assess, which he clearly needed to do for the first time this night.

Sasuke sat quietly and sipped delicately at his green tea.

After a while, when Naruto had eaten enough to feed several people, he paused, twiddled his utensils between his fingers and stared awkwardly at his dinner partner. As if he knew Naruto was looking, Sasuke sat his chin leisurely in the heel of his hand and did that almost-but-not-quite smile that made Naruto fidget nervously in his seat. The blonde picked absently at the last remnants of his meal and fervently avoided looking at Sasuke. With the introduction of food into his stomach, he wasn't quite as drunk as he was less than hour ago, or at least not on alcohol. After a few minutes, Naruto snorted and dropped his chopsticks loudly into his bowl, recalling that Sasuke couldn't actually see him, so trying to hide his emotions was sort of a waste.

Yet Sasuke's smirk widened.

"So, Sasuke . . ."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"Why are you here?" It wasn't what needed to be said, but Naruto didn't know what that was and couldn't have said it anyway.

"You were hungry."

Naruto scowled. "That's not what I mean." Sasuke sipped his tea and with a heavy sigh, Naruto gave up. "You never told me what it is you do."

"Are you sure you want to know?" Sasuke asked, not seeming to be put off by the sudden, somewhat irrelevant conversation.

Naruto pouted, then stuck out his tongue, which only half-satisfied his irritation since the object of said irritation couldn't see it. "All right, fine. I'm sure it's something dastardly-"

"Dastardly," Sasuke repeated wryly.

"-that I don't really want to know about." Naruto rapped his knuckled on the table for no apparent reason. "It's illegal isn't it?"

Sasuke took another sip of tea.

"Then you can at least tell me where you've been." Naruto had no idea what he was doing. "I looked all over."

"Around."

"That's not much of an answer," Naruto complained, throwing his irritation at the one thing he could grasp. "What's 'around'?"

"Here, there, sometimes someplace else." Sasuke clinked his teacup down loudly without a care to properly answering the question.

"Why won't you answer any of my questions?" Naruto accused angrily.

Sasuke lazily waved at a waiter in request for more tea. "Maybe you're not asking the right ones."

"What are the right questions?"

The Uchiha smirked.

"You said you have a home, right? Not just these cheap motels?" Naruto was dancing around the subject, but he hadn't yet allowed himself to realize why.

Sasuke carefully put his cup down. "I do."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully and looked across the room at the few other people there, all having whispered conversations as if they too had secrets they needed to keep. There were windows to the outside that showed nothing but the deep black of night and the bright white of reflecting snow. "Konoha's so quiet now," he observed absently and began fiddling with one of his chopsticks. "Nothing much happens. I get a few missions, like this one, but it's not even like before, when we used to work together." He swallowed thickly. "Mostly, we have to take care of the town and our people. I mean, it's quiet, but after the war . . . It's still not the same."

"War can do that."

The blonde looked at the other man critically. "Is that what happened to you? Are you like all those ninja who had no place to go?"

Pouring another cup form the carafe, Sasuke looked on Naruto with a frightening flatness of emotion. "Don't try to analyze me, Naruto."

Naruto studied the face across from him, familiar and strange, closed off and open all at the same time and decided that maybe he really didn't need to know.

Then Sasuke asked, half teasing as he brought the teacup to his lips, "Are you ready to ask the right questions?"

And the chopstick in Naruto's hand snapped in half.

--

After Naruto sped off from dinner like he was on fire, Sasuke retired to his room with an equally uneasy feeling. He'd only come to this little speck of nothing town off the beaten track because he'd heard an excellent metal smith set up shop here. Since he'd some free time, he thought it might be worth a look, given her reputation. There had been nothing more to it than that.

Naruto showing up was not even on his list of possibilities.

But the moment he heard he was in town – for being a ninja, Naruto still tended to announce his presence rather loudly - Sasuke felt a driving compulsion to see him.

He was comfortable with that admission; Naruto had been quite enjoyable and so cute with his nervousness. And there was precious little in Sasuke's life that he actually enjoyed.

So he'd made himself known, let people talk as they were wont to do, and waited for Naruto to come to him or not. He'd been more pleased when Naruto sought him out than he cared to admit. Naruto's subsequent refusal of a repeat performance of their last meeting was disappointing but not surprising. Besides, there were plenty of other things they could do; Sasuke was well versed in many of them.

But kissing?

That was against Sasuke's unspoken rules, an act too personal to be wasted on people who didn't matter.

He dropped himself onto his pristine bed, the springs squeaking out their pathetic death cries. He knew one of them would snap any moment, which would put him in a foul mood.

He was all about order and order required rules and regulations and systems to be followed. Despite the stupidly popular axiom, rules were _not _made to be broken.

He pulled out his recent purchase. It was a set of folding shuriken, medium-sized, ultra-sharp and thin and guaranteed to return to the thrower like boomerangs. He ran his thumb lightly along the edge and the blade made a clean, perfect slice through the top layers of skin. Warm blood trickled down his thumb and over his wrist. He made his way to the bathroom, washed it clean and bandaged it, but the cut continued to bleed, soaking through the gauze in minutes.

The weapons master was everything she was said to be.

Or maybe his blood was pumping a little too fast.

He picked one of the shuriken from the bed, weighed it in his hand and measured the length a little more accurately. These weapons could be very useful in his work, enough to remove a head but not much more. It would be tricky, but it might be that the benefits would outweigh the risks.

He would practice and he would see.

For now, he folded his new toys and secreted them away in his bag. Then he took out a book and tried to occupy his restless mind.

It was a brief exercise in futility.

His bones were itching for something. He closed the book sharply and tossed it to the empty side of the mattress. Frustrated, he got to his feet.

Turning his head to the window, he felt the coolness of the night air filter through the glass and creep along the walls. He let the air slowly seep into the marrow of his bones. Then he changed his clothes and headed out.

Sasuke ate a late dinner alone. The meal was good and there was no cause to complain, but the food felt somehow hollow in his stomach.

He left the restaurant feeling unfulfilled and the itchiness in his bones intensified.

He wandered aimlessly for a while, taking street after street until the sound and smell changed to something he recognized. It was the nature of neighborhood he knew well, if not the place itself.

It was Naruto's fault.

Even as a kid, he had always managed to mess up Sasuke's well-ordered life.

He entered the establishment without interest, but resignation.

Sasuke's bones were vibrating now and the place was too subdued to silence them. It was a "meeting house", the kind with the bright dens downstairs and the dark bedrooms up, both for entertaining.

He poured a shochu and lemon for himself from the tray and sat down in a deep cushion couch.

He sipped lazily and waited.

It didn't take long.

"I was hoping I might find you here." The voice was familiar, as was the presumptuous way in which he took the seat next to Sasuke.

Sasuke continued to sip at his drink.

A small, slender hand brushed along the forearm Sasuke had laying on his thigh. He sneered in response to the possessive gesture.

"Hn." He commented disinterestedly.

"Kenta," the boy supplied as if Sasuke had expressed even a vague interest.

Unfortunately Sasuke _did_ remember him and the fact that the boy had showed up in the same nowhere town was nothing if not suspicious.

"We could pick up our relationship where we left off," Kenta tried to entice. "I missed you."

Sasuke did not mention that he found it hard to believe a person could miss someone he scarcely knew. "I don't have relationships."

Kenta hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I'm lonely." He dragged a fingertip along the tense muscle of Sasuke's arm, over the inside bend of elbow and up the bicep. Sasuke turned his sightless eyes closer to his perceived direction of the boy's face.

"Aren't you?" Kenta drew little circles on Sasuke's shoulder.

"What are you doing here, Kenta?" Sasuke snapped the two pathetic syllables of the boy's name like he was popping gum.

"Visiting." The boy leaned in and whispered into Sasuke's ear. "And hoping to get lucky."

Despite his near revulsion of the boy, Sasuke felt desire began to rise and twist within him, niggling every one of his available senses.

Naruto had him all keyed up.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and grit his jaw. "Fine."

Kenta took Sasuke's hand in his own, but the assassin yanked free, making it clear he didn't want to be touched.

Still, the two of them went together anyway, up the stairs and off into the sweet scented darkness above.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 9/26

* * *

Chapter 9

The orphan kids at the shelter were in just as much, if not more, need of schooling as the other Konoha children and Naruto was more than willing to provide it. The lot of them was outside standing in a wide circle in the cut grass, and learning basic taijutsu. They were teamed up as a cooperative exercise as Naruto supervised. He had just commented on one of the student's postures when he looked up to the sky and saw some big fluffy clouds duck behind Hokage Tower only to reemerge on the other side and block out the sun.

"Hey Naruto-sensei!" One of the kids waved his hand excitedly in the air. Naruto pointed at him, giving him permission to speak. "How come you don't go on missions anymore?"

"Who says I don't?" His cheeriness was tainted with a hint of suspicion.

"Kiba-san!" A whole group of children chimed in.

"Oh? Is that so?" Naruto ground out. But he quickly regained his jovial demeanor. "Well, you can't believe everything he says."

"But you've been with us all month," a little girl piped up. There was a general consensus among the youngsters that this was true.

"I'm taking a break," Naruto explained.

A smattering rumble rose within the kids as they both continued to question and started to protest.

Naruto turned an angry face at them. "Enough! Let's get back to work!"

This caused some of the children to shriek, but it was mostly in jest. Soon they were all giggling and re-paired up to continue with the lesson.

No matter how hard Naruto tried, he just couldn't get them to be afraid of him, ever.

Not that he considered that a bad thing.

--

Akamaru liked being scratched behind the ears so he whined with approval and leaned into Naruto, practically knocking the man into the ground. Righting himself, Naruto patted the head a couple times then slipped through the door of the flower shop. He smirked, crossed his arms and settled back on one leg as he took in the pitiful spectacle before him. Kiba was leaning over the cash counter, trying to flirt with Ino while she set flowers into an arrangement and did her best to pretend he wasn't there.

Starting with Sakura at Naruto's wedding, Kiba had become an insatiable flirt, apparently trying to fully embrace the meaning of the word "dog". He had set for himself the unachievable goal of winning over the entire female population. Sakura had turned him down flat and nipped that idea in the bud, but this hardly deterred him against any other girl in town. He'd had a surprising amount of luck in that department, though whether it would be labeled as "good" or "bad" had yet to be determined. Settling down didn't seem to play any role in Kiba's immediate future.

His present project took shape in the form of the unfortunate Ino, who was taking the tactic of "ignore him and maybe he'll go away".

But Kiba could be very persistent when he wanted to be.

Naruto walked up to them, taking pity on the girl and threw his arm around Kiba's shoulder. "Kiba!" He exclaimed, mock-cheerily. "I hear you've been spreading rumors about me!"

"What rumors," Kiba tried to ask but was thoroughly drowned out by Ino's inordinately grateful, "Naruto!"

The two blondes looked at each other and Naruto smiled cheekily.

Ino returned a softer smile. "Could you please do something about this guy?" She practically begged, only partly sarcastic. "He's scaring away all the customers."

"Hey!" Kiba protested as Naruto just chuckled.

"This is your fault, you know," Ino said, pointing a long accusatory finger at Naruto.

Kiba protested again but Naruto talked over him. "Mine?!"

The woman picked up the completed arrangement and set it on the shelf behind her. "Yes. Yours." She peeked back over her shoulder. "Just get him out of her, would you? He's driving me crazy!"

Naruto obediently tightened his arm around Kiba's neck and guided him toward the door. "C'mon. You've caused enough trouble."

Scowling, Kiba allowed himself to be led but grumbled under his breath, "I'm not the one who caused trouble."

Then they were out into the street and in the bustle of noise and crush of bodies, Naruto didn't hear anything more.

--

The two men walked together for a long time, speechless even long after they'd entered the quiet residential area.

Walking beside Akamaru, Naruto felt a little crowded. The dog took up half the road all by himself easily. And he was certain Kiba sat atop the canine just so he could look down on everyone else. Nothing would convince him otherwise.

The longer the silence lasted, the more the anger returned and Naruto's frown dipped so deep it was almost an inverted "V". "Why are you going around telling everyone I'm not taking missions anymore?"

Kiba's expression didn't change as he scanned the surrounding area like a king on high. "Well you haven't, have you?"

"Doesn't mean I won't," Naruto pointed out.

"Naruto," Kiba said pitilessly, "It's been a month."

"So?"

"So," the dog ninja drawled, "I think it's pretty safe to say you've stopped taking missions."

Akamaru barked, a noise that practically made Naruto's bones rattle then began to whine in the direction of the local butcher shop. Kiba laughed, patted his friend on the side and nimbly slipped down to the road.

"All right boy," Kiba said. "But not too much. I don't want you spoiling your dinner."

He sounded like a father.

Naruto was not swayed in his objective by the sudden turn in conversation. "That doesn't mean I won't ever again." His frown grew petulant as Kiba just walked away and into the butcher shop. "Why'd you have to tell the kids anyway?"

"Geez, Naruto, have a cow," Kiba said, exasperated. "Some of the kids asked why you were there so much and I told them. What's the big deal?"

"The deal is it's none of your business. If I want to quit, _I'll_ decide and _I'll_ tell people, got it?" His voice was harsher than it needed to be.

He didn't know why he was so annoyed.

"O.K., O.K., I got it," Kiba complained, giving Naruto an angry and confused look. He handed his money over to the butcher and got his paper-wrapped package in return. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," Naruto grumbled and looked away.

They walked outside and Kiba dropped the package of fresh meat in front of Akamaru. The big dog licked the human, his large tongue practically covering the whole of the man's face.

Naruto watched the scene with indifference.

"I just don't like people deciding my life for me," he said.

--

The apartment nearly sparkled when Naruto arrived home. Hinata was just putting on her apron so she could start getting dinner prepared, but stopped halfway when her husband walked in. She laid the apron over the back of a chair and rushed over.

"Naruto-kun, is something wrong?" She asked uneasily, pressing her palms flat to his chest.

Naruto raised his eyes and looked at his wife. She still had a youthful face like a girl's, her skin soft and clear, her eyes wide, and her dark hair fell gracefully over her shoulders. There was such sweetness and concern in her face that it made his heart ache.

He stared at her a long time and Hinata's concern began to settle more on herself than her husband. Naruto gripped her arms tighter and she squeaked quietly but didn't protest.

He could feel his breathing come shorter, heavier, as if he'd been running. His eyes became less focused and his skin began to grow warm. Then he crushed his lips onto Hinata's, making her release a little startled gasp before giving in.

When Naruto pulled away his breath came no easier, almost as if he was drowning, slowly suffocating on normal air. In one swoop, he picked the woman up and carried her bride-style to the bed. The muscles of his arms were more tensed than they should be, and only at the very last moment did he remember to lay her down gently rather than throw her. Her hair pooled silkily around her smooth face as she looked up at him. She took a moment, to study him then smiled. Naruto didn't smile back. Instead, his eyebrows pulled together as he brushed some stray strands from her cheek, tucking them behind her ear.

She was beautiful. Beautiful and sweet and perfect and his. He traced his thumb over the elegant curve of her eyebrow and her eyelids drooped in that way was for him alone.

His.

He leaned in and softly kissed the top edge of her ear, then the jaw beneath and gently made his way across to her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers into his hair, and arched her hips to him, asking, begging, offering.

He undid the fastenings of her dress.

She unzipped the fly of his pants.

Soon they were both naked and the room was silent but for the rustle of bed sheets, the labor of their breathing, and the slick slap of skin.

--

By the time they rolled back out of bed it was late and there was not enough time to cook dinner.

So they ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant and ate it in their underwear, a state that made them chuckle like little children.

--

--

It was just inside the borderline of the Land of Rain, dangerously close to Fire territory when Naruto found him again, purely by chance. It was an overcast day but not yet raining and Naruto had only ducked inside the café to avoid any impending downpour. Seeing Sasuke there had struck him more as a bad joke than any work of fate.

He slid easily into the seat opposite Sasuke, who momentarily stilled and raised his eyebrows in silent inquiry. The blind man didn't seem in the least bit surprised that Naruto had shown up seemingly out of nowhere.

"You're not as sneaky as you used to be," Naruto commented with a disapproving twist of his lips.

"Oh?" Sasuke said, clearly unconcerned.

"I'm just saying, all of a sudden I'm walking into you_ everywhere_ I go." Naruto drummed his fingers on the table. "I think you're losing your edge."

"That's one theory." Sasuke said flatly. He reached his hand across the table towards Naruto's drumming fingers and the blond instantly wrenched away as if he were about to get an electrical shock.

"No touching!" He yelled and then looked around, embarrassed, as he saw people staring at him and whispering to their neighbors. He pouted and turned back to the table. Sasuke picked up the soy sauce and dribbled a little on his rice.

Naruto flushed, looked away and back again. "We need to talk."

Sasuke frowned briefly and returned to his half eaten dinner. "We've never been good at talking."

"Well, then," the blonde said, sitting up straight, "We'll just have to learn."

"There are other things we're already good at," Sasuke suggested with the barest hint of a leer.

Naruto's flush flew to his hairline and he flustered. "Does you're mind always go there?!"

"Yes," Sasuke stated shortly and his leer transformed into an amused smirk. "You're blushing."

"How would you know?"

The brunette stayed perfectly still but for the movement of his lips. "You are, aren't you?"

Naruto frowned fiercely. "No."

Sasuke's smirk turned knowing. "You are." It wasn't a question.

Naruto's hands gripped tight to the edge of the table and he realized he was biting the inside of his lip so hard with frustration that he tasted blood. Sasuke sat there all cool and collected and annoying. "So what if I am?' The blonde finally retorted defensively. Then he leaned in and whispered harshly, "Unlike some people, I don't go around talking about stuff like that all the time in the middle of a crowded restaurant."

The blind man's face smoothed out in a weird sort of way. "You mean sex?"

Naruto flushed again, he could tell by the way his skin suddenly felt so much hotter.

Sasuke chuckled softly and it was a sound both startling and strange. "You're blushing again?"

Naruto took a second to absorb the strange noise. "Fine," he admitted reluctantly. "I am, so what?"

"It's cute."

The blonde began choking violently, even though he hadn't actually been eating. The smile now gone, Sasuke regarded Naruto with a blank sort of interest, the kind of look only Sasuke could pull off.

"You can't say stuff like that," the recently choking man said once he'd managed to preserve his life. "Why are you saying stuff like that?"

"It's true." Sasuke said this as though it were self-evident.

Naruto's blush had receded but left him a pleasant pink, which unfortunately Sasuke couldn't actually see, though he stared as if he could. Naruto pursed his lips and glared at Sasuke for a long time. He stared as though Sasuke were a lab specimen to be studied. The man was different from how Naruto remembered him. He had none of the spiteful, angry bitterness that once had consumed him, or else he'd learned to hide it extremely well. Naruto squinted as though it would bring this new and unfathomable Sasuke into better focus. It didn't work.

He sighed.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked this without any apparent interest or concern.

"What happened to you?"

"What does that mean?"

Naruto folded his arms and leaned on the table. "You're different." When Sasuke didn't ask, Naruto felt the urge to elaborate. "Calmer. You don't have that anger all the time anymore. And," he hesitated, "You smile."

Only someone who knew Sasuke as well as Naruto, even after all this time, would recognize the slight twitch of his shoulder as the sign of surprise that it was. Uchiha stayed stubbornly quiet for a while, before asking defensively, "I do?"

"Yeah. Sort of."

In response to this revelation, Sasuke frowned.

After this, a weird silence grew around them, awkward and untried. Then Sasuke raised his hand and waved the waiter over in that uncanny way of his, as if he knew exactly where the boy was. "Check please."

Naruto scowled at him in irritation.

They still hadn't talked.

Once the waiter had returned with the bill, Sasuke promptly paid, stood up from the table, and walked toward the door, ignoring Naruto as if had only been a figment of Sasuke's imagination. Silent and uninvited, Naruto followed. It was not until they were in the street that Sasuke finally spoke. "A lot has happened since then." Naruto waited for more, but Sasuke didn't go on and the blonde knew better than to press.

Instead, he just agreed. "Yeah, a lot has." He didn't go into detail either. Naruto took a long sidelong glance at the man, knowing he had to stop what was coming before it was upon him, only he wasn't too sure what that was. In lieu of doing what was necessary, he said, "It's been over a month."

"I'm well aware of that."

Naruto's head whipped so fast in Sasuke's direction that he almost gave himself whiplash. There was no outward sign of the bitterness he thought he'd heard, so he just answered lamely, "Yeah. I've been, uh, teaching the kids a lot and it takes up a lot of time. Did I ever tell you I teach? At the academy and shelter?" Sasuke didn't answer. Slightly unnerved, Naruto went on. "And sometimes I take missions. A few. Well, not lately." This elicited no response.

Then for no particular reason, Naruto brightened. "And I'll be Hokage someday too."

"You're still saying that?" Sasuke feigned disinterest, but beneath that was a very patent displeasure. He snorted. "You don't know enough about the world." The comment was made under his breath, but Naruto heard it. He looked away. There was a single daisy with a drooping stem drowning in a pool of water.

Above them, thunder rumbled.

"Well, yeah. It's not going to happen tomorrow." Naruto said defensively. "But someday. You knew that."

"Hn."

"Yeah, right," Naruto grumbled, any good mood he might have had was now completely gone. "It shouldn't make a difference to you anyway. We're not friends."

Sasuke made no comment to this and a little pain bloomed unexpectedly inside Naruto's chest. They were still walking along at good pace when Sasuke suddenly stopped, or at least it seemed sudden to Naruto. Then Uchiha turned to him and said, "Goodbye, Naruto."

The blonde shinobi spun on him, his emotions gone suddenly haywire. "Goodbye?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied simply.

"What? Now?" Naruto's heart hit overdrive, thumping so violently it might actually escape his ribcage.

They still hadn't talked.

"This is my hotel," Sasuke answered as blankly as he had before. "I'd invite you in, but if I did, it wouldn't be for conversation. And that would get in the way of your plans, now wouldn't it, Hokage?" The last word was enunciated sharply, clearly deemed an epithet.

Naruto scowled at him; this was the Sasuke he knew, sarcastic and resentful over nothing at all. "What's that supposed to mean?" But Sasuke just turned and walked through the door. He didn't say anything, just walked away like he'd done years ago as if it all meant nothing to him. As if Naruto meant nothing. "I see you're still a bastard!" He called to the man's retreating back.

Sasuke did not deign to reply.

--

Naturally, Sasuke had been in town with a very specific purpose that had nothing whatsoever to do with Naruto. He hadn't even known the blonde would be here; running into him had just been a perk. Or at least it had been until Naruto opened his big mouth.

Perhaps it was just as well; Sasuke felt like he was losing control of his life while some twisted fate slowly took it over.

The assassin stood to the side of the sleazy barroom door, waiting for his mark to stumble headfirst through it. According to his client, that's what he did every night at this time. But he was taking too damn long with it. Sasuke was over the whole thing and wanted to get out of town.

Now.

His fingers tapped anxiously on his forearm, longing to pull out his katana and thrust it through someone's belly. He wasn't too picky on the "who" just at this moment.

Naruto.

Always talking about stupid, absurd, unimportant things.

_Talking._

Then the door flew open and a raucous cry of, "You can keep your stinking wench, nobody wants her anyway!"

And Sasuke knew he had his man.

--

Drunks were always easy and _always_ a disappointment. The flashing memory of some rumor he'd heard about Rock Lee becoming stronger when drunk went briefly through Sasuke's mind, but such things like that were rare, if not complete fabrications.

He slipped through the back door of the house, snorting at the complete lack of sentries and snuck around to the sitting room where he was to get the rest of his payment. The room was easy enough to find but when he reached it, it was eerily quiet. There was no sense of chakra, but he did feel a strange presence, a weight in the room and a sickly sweet smell in the air.

It didn't take long to find her.

The woman's mouth was gaping open with her tongue lolling obscenely to the side and her eyes wide from the last moments of her life. Sasuke smelled the warm scent of her recent death and the last sip of sweet wine on her lips. He traced his hand down the corpse's face, feeling for evidence and found it. There was the unique thin indentation in her neck from a garrote.

Sachiko.

That was her signature. The garrote for Sachiko and poison for her chakra-deficient and elusive partner Toshio. Little was known about either of them aside from their methods, though he had met _her_ once. Toshio was almost a complete mystery aside from a name and a technique.

Sasuke huffed with displeasure.

Circumstances contrived to make it difficult to collect his due.

He edged around the corners of the room, searching through the normal places people kept money: the insides of books or urns or the crevices between shelves, and came up with nothing. Then he found the desk. He smirked. If the woman were indeed foolish enough to contract a hit on her husband without checking if he had one on her first, then she was hardly the sharpest tool in the shed. He quickly searched each of the drawers and finally hit pay dirt. Just as he was tucking his well-earned recompense into the folds of his robe, he felt it. He spun just in time to avoid the killing blow, but the sword still cut a deep slice down the side of his arm. His blood spattered out in a long arcing spray, hitting the wall, Sasuke's face, and the presumptuous man in front of him.

With one swift kick Sasuke knocked the attacker back. Then he pulled his sword, blocked another pathetic parry, and in one swing removed the man's head from his body. The blood from the wound spouted like a geyser and although Sasuke quickly leapt back, he was still doused with a healthy dose of it. He hadn't bothered to cauterize anything. This "guard" had been worthless, felled with a single blow in a few seconds and too late to protect his mistress anyway. On the other hand, he should never have gotten anywhere near Sasuke, let alone been able to touch him. The metallic scent and sticky feel of blood engulfed Sasuke's senses, grating on his nerves like insects under his skin.

He wiped the blade of his katana clean and took a moment before sheathing it.

He'd never been messy before.

--

Sasuke was calmly fuming, a contradiction he excelled at, when he arrived at his room. The blood on him had started to dry and tighten on his skin during one of the Land's few rain-free moments. It would have made him frightful to anyone he passed, had he passed anyone.

There was someone in his room; he felt it before he swung the door open.

Naruto jumped up from the bed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just barged in here, but I couldn't leave things like that."

Silently, Sasuke walked up to Naruto and crooked his head to one side, erasing any emotion.

"Where have you been?" The blonde asked suspiciously after looking Sasuke up and down.

Sasuke unlatched his scabbard, placed it carefully on the chair opposite, and considered Naruto with his blind eyes. He stood there with blood on his hands and spattered on his face, and stared without seeing.

Naruto took a tentative step forward. That's when he noticed that some of the blood was fresh, oozing sluggishly from Sasuke's right arm. "You're hurt!"

Naruto reached for the injury, but Sasuke was faster, clasping his hand around Naruto's neck and slamming him hard against the wall. The big blue eyes grew bigger, struggling to regain focus after they'd temporarily gone black. Naruto reflexively grabbed the wrist holding his throat with both his hands. He was held firm to the wall and there was heavy pressure, but no actual pain. Sasuke wasn't really trying to hurt him.

"We should clean that wound," Naruto remarked calmly, doing a passable impression of Sasuke. Sasuke pried one of Naruto's hands free and pressed it to the wall behind him. "And bandage it before-"

But the rest was cut off as Sasuke crashed their lips and bodies violently together. The grip around Naruto's neck tightened until there was a hint of pain as Sasuke's tongue dragged against the roof of Naruto's mouth. Naruto fought for an instant and only an instant, before eagerly giving in.

He let go of Sasuke's wrist so he could wrap his hand to the back of Sasuke's neck. Then he threaded his fingers through the dark hair and let the mixed scent of blood and Sasuke flood his senses.

--

They lay on the two sides of the bed, completely separated after just being intimately connected, as if to act in this manner was normal. Sasuke lay on his back, his eyes facing a ceiling he couldn't see and Naruto curled on his side, facing him. Sasuke's pale skin glowed white, the sheen of sweat reflecting the light of the moon, fractured by the raindrops clinging to the window.

Dried blood left tiny red dots across his face.

There was the faintest taste of it still on Naruto's tongue.

It was quiet.

Naruto picked distractedly at a loose thread on the sheet.

"How did you get in here anyway?" Sasuke asked blandly. "You shouldn't have been able to sneak in."

Naruto's eyes rose to Sasuke's face and he took a long time in answering. "I didn't sneak in." Naruto turned slightly away, even though it made no difference. "I told the clerk I was your boyfriend."

That did not in any way actually answer Sasuke's question, but he showed no further interest in the subject.

Naruto turned his head back, his fingers digging into the bed, converting the pulled thread into a hole. He considered the profile again, the curve of the forehead, the wide sweep of lashes, the long straight line of nose. "Sasuke?" He whispered. He stuck his finger through the hole, stretching it wider. "What are we?"

There was silence for several seconds.

Then Sasuke spoke.

"How the hell should I know?" He replied bitterly, rolling away. The bed creaked pathetically under the shift of his weight. "You tell me."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 10/26

* * *

Chapter 10

The sun bore down ruthlessly on Naruto as he strode anxiously back from the Hokage Tower.

He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and picked up his pace. As fast as he was going, everything around him was an indistinguishable blur, familiar and commonplace. He hadn't been home yet to see his wife. He'd only just arrived back and out of necessity his first stop had been the Tower.

The image of his apartment, plain and dark and ordinary flickered across his mind and disturbed him.

He stopped abruptly. A person on the street behind him bumped into him and had a few unfavorable words to say, but Naruto paid it no mind. Instead, he stood staring at the Yamanaka Flower Shop for a few long minutes.

Then he walked in.

"Welcome!" Ino shouted then cut short the end when she saw whom it was. "Oh, hey Naruto. Kiba's not here." She turned to the arrangement she had just completed and stuck in the card, mumbling, "Thank God."

"I'm not here for him." Naruto flinched and scanned the shop uncomfortably.

Used to Naruto's occasional visits, she turned back around and thought nothing of it. "Oh? Then what are you here for?" She began writing things down on a little pad of paper.

"Flowers."

"Oh?" She said distractedly, worrying the end of the pen between her teeth. It took her a little while to register what he'd said. "Oh!"

Naruto smiled.

"Well," Ino mulled it over as she walked out from behind the counter. "What kind are you looking for?"

"I don't know." The man shrugged. "Pretty ones?"

Ino smiled indulgently. "Are they for any special occasion?"

Naruto shuffled his feet. "No."

The woman just grinned. "Those are the best kind. Roses are always nice," she continued, walking over to a display of fresh cut flowers. "But I think these might suit her better." Ino picked a few of them out, tiny purple flowers on long stems, and added to them some bright ones that looked a little like daisies and white sprays. Without consulting Naruto, She took them to her counter, tied them with a pink ribbon, rolled them in tissue paper and handed them over.

Naruto considered the bouquet; light and delicate like Hinata. "What are they?" He asked, pointing to the bright, unfamiliar blooms.

"Lavender and aster."

Naruto examined the flowers, smiled at the cheerful colors, paid for them, and bid Ino goodbye.

--

The blossoms stood understated in a vase by the bed. Naruto could see them as he looked over Hinata's shoulder, her skin white in the morning light.

She had been so pleased to get them.

She had kissed him and hugged him and put the flowers in water and couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day. She had kept giving happy little glances to the vase when she was in the kitchen or the living room, taking them with her everywhere she went, eventually setting them on the nightstand when she settled in for sleep.

She had been so pleased that she nearly glowed.

Naruto's stomach squirmed uneasily.

--

Hinata both squinted and shaded her eyes as she gazed up from the street. One of the lavender sprigs was tucked just above her ear, contrasting strikingly with the deep black sheen of her hair. Her dress was filmy lilac with small silver buttons that sparkled in the sunlight as a gentle breeze whipped the hem around her legs.

She was a picture.

The house she was looking at seemed a lot like all the houses they'd seen over the past weeks, at least to Naruto's eyes. It had a plain wood frame, tiled roof, and a porch that wrapped around all four sides. The door was big and heavy and imposing, but there were cheery little windows on every side to counteract that. It was boxy on the inside, composed of all square rooms and hallways. There was one of every traditional room and one extra, for growing.

Naruto crossed his arms and frowned, doing the figures in his head.

"So," The realtor asked them. "Is this the one?"

Hinata turned to Naruto and beamed.

And they had themselves a house.

--

Naruto nervously shifted from foot to foot and tried to hide in nonexistent dark shadows, being full aware of how silly it was for him to be here. The tent was packed with students and their team leaders, ready and anxious for their very first missions as genin. They were in for quite a surprise.

Naruto chuckled, remembering Team Seven's assignments of weeding and cat rescue and dog walking. They were all like that up until Tazuna and the bridge, and that had been more than they'd bargained for.

His face turned serious. Then he stalked straight up to the table and asked as discreetly as he could for an assignment. Izumo, who was currently manning this table, eyed the blonde warily, no doubt knowing that Naruto usually received his assignments directly from the Hokage himself. But he didn't say anything, just ran his finger down a long line of scrawled words, apparently searching for something appropriate.

"Here's one," he said at last, perching his finger on one of the lines. "The council is having a meeting with the contingent from Amegakure and would like some added protection."

"Pass." Even if he'd been looking for some simple work, he would never have taken that one, not with the Land of Rain and not the council. The council could go hang themselves for all he cared.

Izumo didn't even question the quick decision, moving onto the next listing. "There's something here. A carrier mission, with a possible second leg attached."

Naruto hesitated. He hesitated so long that Izumo raised his head in silent question. Naruto narrowed his eyes and shifted his weight, staring at the man, though not seeming to see him at all.

"Would you be interested?" Izumo prompted and peeked around the Naruto-shaped obstacle to see how many shinobi were lined up behind him.

Naruto paused again, let out a sigh then asked, "Where is it?"

"Uh," Izumo hummed, finding the listing again. "The Land of Waves and possibly Sunagakure in the Land of Wind."

Naruto considered it. The traveling would take up a lot more time than he'd like. "How mush does it pay?" He asked.

Izumo quoted the sum and while it was substantial, it wasn't enough to lure Naruto away from Konoha and Hinata for that long. He looked at Izumo almost pathetically.

"Is that all you have?" He beseeched. "Nothing else?"

Izumo raised his eyes curiously, but dutifully checked again. He reexamined the list; shaking his head in the negative and making Naruto's spirit descend like the heavy end of a tipped scale. Then the finger stopped. "Oh. Wait. Let me see." His eyes quickly scanned the entry. "Yes, here's one. It's another courier mission. Straight to Kirigakure and a Lady Higuchi, response needed, bought back here to Lord Go. It's of a _personal _nature, but how's – "

"I'll take it!" Naruto didn't bother to ask the price. He had agreed with hardly a thought, which made Izumo consider him critically.

But it wasn't Izumo's business. He simply wrote down the information and handed over the scroll.

Naruto smiled broadly and waved to some of the kids he recognized as he left.

--

The house was bright and sparse and when he returned Hinata was nowhere to be seen. This wasn't surprising; having a new home required a lot of work and shopping for things they didn't yet own. It had been two weeks since they'd moved in and longer than that since the Rain.

He placed the neatly rolled scroll on the table and headed to the bedroom. The scroll was important but not urgent and Naruto had taken enough of those types of missions to know how much leeway he had. He'd have until morning, leaving him one more night with Hinata.

Even so, he quickly packed his things so he could get an early start. As he did so, he caught sight of the last of the lavender on the nightstand. The asters had not fared as well, dying long ago almost as if they had been diseased to start with. Hinata had squeezed as much life out of them as she could, but their ends were cut and with no more connection to the earth, they were not meant to last.

He looked at the soft purple curving edge of one, drooping down and soon to turn brown and fall off.

They had been there too long.

He turned away.

Naruto took his pack to the living room and threw it to the couch, followed moments later by his weary self. There was big hole in the couch, precariously covered with a cushion and he felt himself sinking into it. They should use the money from the mission to buy a new one before doing anything else. He tipped his head back so that it rested on the sofa's backboard.

There was a crack in the ceiling.

For a moment he closed his eyes, wanting his mind to go blank but instead it wandered all over the strange threads of his life, the threads that wove around his heart and kept him grounded.

He pushed himself up and walked to the table where the scroll lay, neat and tied and silent. Naruto picked it up, examined the seal and the name on the side.

Carefully, he set it back down.

It was early afternoon and the light streamed in through all the open windows, casting long lines of yellow along the wooden floors. Flecks of dust danced in the sunbeams as if they were alive.

Naruto touched the tip of his finger to the frayed end of the scroll's tie and pulled on it slightly, making the paper roll.

Then he did something he knew he shouldn't, even while he was doing it.

He sent a message, hoping it would find Sasuke.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 11/26

* * *

Chapter 11

"Hmph."

It was about the tenth time the overly made-up woman had made that noise in the last five minutes. Naruto tipped back on his heels then fell forward to his toes with a double-step like he was a human rocking chair. He did this repeatedly, hoping to annoy her as much as she was annoying him, but it hadn't yet produced a noticeable result.

She patently ignored him, her red-shine nails flicking the side of the paper with irritating regularity. The scroll had been thin, only one sheet in fact, and it had taken the woman no more than two minutes to read it. It was taking ten times that long for her to stew over its contents.

"I can come back later, Lady Higuchi," Naruto offered politely.

A dark-eyed imperious look was his answer.

Naruto returned to his rocking chair impression.

He didn't know how long he'd been stuck here, but it felt just short of forever and most of that was wasted waiting for a reply. He'd already arrived in town later than planned and in the misty darkness of the city he could hardly tell the exact hour. The lantern lights were always lit.

The woman flicked the edge of the paper again, hard enough to rip it. She made an ugly frown.

Her hand dropped to her lap and Naruto's attention sharpened.

"Sasami-chan," The Lady Higuchi commanded in a flat voice. "Bring us the pen."

It took all his willpower for Naruto not to snort at the royal "we". A small girl with an elaborately painted face and two neat buns on the sides of her head dashed out of the room and returned in moments with not only pen, but paper also. After handing the items to her mistress, she knelt on the floor and offered her back to the woman as a writing desk since the "lady" could apparently not be bothered to rise from her chaise lounge to the table not two meters away.

Naruto reaffirmed his commitment at being a free agent.

The woman took her sweet time in writing her reply, as if people weren't waiting on her. Naruto began counting the time off in his head, but at about twelve minutes, he gave up.

After the sun had blown up and the planet ceased to exist, the woman was finally finished and handed the paper over.

Naruto bowed politely, backed up to the exit slowly for decency's sake and bowed again in the open doorway. As soon as the door closed, he ran as though he could catch the world in his back draft and turn back time.

--

Fifteen minutes later, he was back at the place he'd found Sasuke that first time and hoped it wasn't too late.

He'd worked as quickly as he could, securing the scroll someplace safe, putting on the proper wards, and washing himself up so that he didn't stink too much.

Once he entered the club and encountered its unique aroma, he realized it could hardly have mattered.

He'd checked the time before he'd left his room and seen he was already an hour later than he'd intended. If Sasuke had even received the message, which Naruto doubted he had, he probably wouldn't wait so long.

It wasn't fair and it was worse because it wasn't right to start with and Naruto was pushing people out of the way, pushing them on top of each other, trying to get a clear view of _anything_.

It was too late. An hour was too long, way too long by half. He slouched his back and sighed. Then he headed back the way he'd come and took full, sane stock of the situation. He'd only sent that message on some stupid impulse that never should have been followed anyway. It was better this way; he knew that.

And now he would go home.

He flicked his eyes abstractedly over the crowd as he left. He saw blondes and brunettes, long hair, short hair, a man with pink hair and five earrings, a man with no hair and a tattoo on his shoulder, and a man with pale porcelain skin and blue-black hair leaning on the wall by the bathroom. Naruto stopped. Then he pinched his eyes to clear his vision and carefully walked over.

He moved slowly at first as if dazed, but quickly increased his pace and went back to pushing people out of the way. It didn't take much longer before he was standing right in front of Sasuke.

Sasuke, who had gotten his message.

Sasuke, who answered his message.

Sasuke, who waited for more than an hour.

Sasuke, who looked at him with those eyes that didn't see, yet knew.

"So," the blind man said. "It was _you_ who wanted to hire me."

Not exactly true; it had just been the only way Naruto could think of to attempt contacting him.

But none of that mattered, not when Sasuke was here when he shouldn't be. Naruto was so shocked and relieved and grateful that he reached his hands forward and met Sasuke's mouth with his own like it was the air he needed to breathe, the water he needed to live. Sasuke responded instantly, opening up and digging his fingers into Naruto's waist as if they belonged there. Naruto curved into him and slid one of his hands down the thinly covered chest, the taut stomach, to the bare skin behind tight pants, burning to the touch. Somehow he'd forgotten how hot Sasuke was, physically, literally, and the feel of his skin nearly scorched Naruto's hand.

It had to be the fire, the fire of the Uchiha that consumed them.

Naruto released Sasuke's mouth with a pop, the sound lost in the drumbeat of music. He scowled, angry with himself and Sasuke and the world, and flipped the man around, pressing his chest into the wall so Naruto didn't have to see him. Naruto covered Sasuke's body with his own and latched his mouth to the dark seals on the pale neck, just where shoulder curved in. His hand slid back down below Sasuke's waist, far beneath the tight band of his pants. He bit down at the exact moment that he squeezed and suddenly Sasuke was gripping the wall for balance. He arched back in a way that surprised Naruto so much that he almost missed enjoying it.

And Naruto kept on biting, sucking, squeezing, tugging, and listening to the sounds Sasuke made like music far better than the loud thrumming noise in the distance.

In the overcrowded room, there was nothing but them.

Naruto staved it off as long as he could but he wanted it done, needed the release as much as Sasuke did.

Everything converged into a pinpoint, sharp and white and black and sweet and only reluctantly did everything eventually come back into focus.

They were barely keeping each other upright, braced as they were against the wall. Naruto breathed heavily into Sasuke's ear.

He hadn't needed to be touched to find his release.

The bite in Sasuke's neck was eased with a few swipes of Naruto's tongue and a long cooling breath.

Then the blond pulled his hand free and placed it shakily on the wall.

Turning his head just enough so Naruto could see his face, Sasuke licked his lips and swallowed back the saliva that had pooled in his mouth with a visible bob of his throat. Despite what had just happened, he appeared relatively calm.

"So then," he asked breathless yet flat. "What are we?"

Naruto tried to slow his runaway heartbeat. He pulled back so Sasuke could turn all the way around to face him. As always, Sasuke's sightless eyes almost, but not quite, looked back.

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he took a breath.

"We're us."

And Sasuke smirked with a strangely satisfied air, which wavered up gradually into that curve that was not yet, but maybe wanted to be, a smile.

--

Naruto barely managed to dodge the lightning strike and the backlash landed him on his butt painfully.

"Hey, that's cheating!" He yelled childishly while rubbing his injured backside. There was just as much fog in the training fields as there was in the city and Naruto felt that gave an unfair advantage to the one of them who couldn't see to start with.

"There is no cheating in war," Sasuke replied. He stood scarcely visible on the opposite side of the field, bored and unconcerned, having barely moved the whole fight and certainly not breaking a sweat.

Naruto was drenched.

And tired.

Sasuke shook his head disapprovingly. "You've gotten lazy. What do you expect to accomplish like that?"

"I'm not lazy!" Naruto pushed himself to his feet.

"You're rusty." It wasn't a concession really, merely a different phrasing.

Naruto, however, considered it the better option of the two. "Just give me a little time. Then I'll be wiping the floor with you just like before."

"That's an interesting alternate history you wrote there."

Naruto scowled.

"Scowling won't change history."

Naruto stopped and his expression turned curious, his irritation taking a backseat. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know what I'm doing, what my face looks like."

Sasuke shrugged noncommittally. "You were scowling, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but," Naruto hedged awkwardly, "You can't see, can you?"

Any humor that might have existed vanished from Sasuke's face. "No. I can't see."

Naruto took a few steps forward, twisting his head to look at Sasuke from a different angle. "O.K. Then how do you do it?"

The pale face smoothed out. "What else would you have been doing?"

Naruto pouted. "Lots of things. I could have been strategizing my next move. I could have been wincing in pain 'cause you hit me _really hard_." Sasuke snorted. "Or I could've been smiling because I'm happy to be here with you."

The very edges of Sasuke's eyes pinched in, the solitary sign that the last statement affected him any way.

That little admission made Naruto grin from ear to ear, more than a little smug.

"Stop smiling," Sasuke commanded. "There's no reason for you to be so proud of yourself, Usuratonkachi."

"See?!" Naruto shouted, pointing a rude accusing finger at his friend. "How do you know what someone's doing if you can't see them?"

Sasuke closed the distance, making the air go thick between them.

"Not 'someone' Naruto. You."

Sasuke stared at him for a long couple of seconds before turning away, a triumphant smirk on his face.

And Naruto flushed pink all the way down his neck.

--

Without a fan the room was overly warm, but neither man seemed to mind much. They were already overheated and sweaty from their recent activities to take much notice.

Naruto had stayed longer than he'd intended, but nothing had gone as he'd intended if he ever knew what that was. There was fear on both sides of the equation and both equaled to him not wanting to go. But he could come up with no more excuses. He'd have to leave, and soon.

He hadn't yet told Sasuke.

The messy blonde head rested on the pale chest, slowly rising and falling with the gentle rhythm of Sasuke's breathing. A tan hand lay flat and dark on the finely muscled and scarred stomach. Naruto stared at it and the crumpled sheet beyond.

The fingers idly stroking his hair lulled Naruto into a sense of security he could little afford, but he closed his eyes anyway.

As he leaned into the soothing touch at his head, Naruto heard the sound of a page being flipped.

Lazily, he opened his eyes and glanced over. Sasuke's left hand was slowly moving over the page, his fingertips decoding the little dots and telling him a story. He was still stroking Naruto's hair, his two hands working independently, as if connected to different sides of Sasuke's brain. Naruto reached over and ran his fingers alongside Sasuke's and felt the texture but couldn't differentiate between the letters.

He pulled his hand back and set it down beside his face. "I don't know how you do that. I'm not sure I could."

"Of course not," Sasuke said blandly, with just a hint of teasing in his tone. "It takes work."

Naruto frowned like he was going to retort, but his face smoothed out and he asked instead, "What are you reading?"

"Poetry."

Naruto leaned into the pale chest and his breath whispered over Sasuke's skin when he spoke. "Read me one."

Sasuke's hand stopped and Naruto watched as the fingertips delicately made their way back to the beginning of the page. He watched them move over the raised words as Sasuke recited.

"_For holding spring, a castle's walls  
would be no use at all:  
the flowers would still fall, and all the birds  
would fly into the clouds." (1)_

Naruto's eyes drifted shut and he smiled gently. "That's pretty." Sasuke's hand moved to the back of Naruto's neck and massaged it gently. The blonde hummed appreciatively under his breath and settled his head more comfortably on the other man's chest.

"Read me another."

Though Naruto could not see it, Sasuke made that almost smile as he turned a couple pages before once again beginning to read.

And Naruto dropped off to sleep with the low melodic sound of Sasuke's voice in his ear.

"_If the voice of the Nightingale  
Did not sound . . ."(2)_

--

When Naruto woke up, Sasuke was gone.

But on the sheets - rumpled and still slightly warm from Sasuke's fevered skin - rested the book of poetry, closed and clean and perfect like an invitation.

1. by Tachibana no Aritsura, from "Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing : The Wakan Roei Shu" edited and translated by J. Thomas Rimer and Jonathan Chaves, (Columbia University Press,1997)

2. (con't)  
_How could I know  
That spring has come  
To this mountain village of unmelted snow?_

by Nakatsukasa, also from "The Wakan Roei Shu"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 12/26

* * *

Chapter 12

The arc the katana took through the muggy air was smooth and elegant. It was ever-moving, up to the sky, down to the ground, swift over the long blades of grass, level with the winging of a butterfly's flight. Spring was heating into summer, turning the atmosphere heavy with the increased misty humidity. The air was still but not quiet as the cicadas buzzed like sirens in the trees all around him.

Being at home normally calmed him since it was far from the horrible, maddening crowds that he despised. It was a solitary place that eased away most of his worries most of the time.

It was his sanctuary.

But for the first time in his memory it failed him. He'd not been able to sit still since arriving nearly two weeks earlier.

Not since he'd left Naruto after that one long week . . .

He brought the blade down in a quick swoop that sliced the air.

There had been conflict in Naruto's sleep that Sasuke had felt like tiny pinpricks over his skin.

He flipped the sword on its side and pulled it across the grass in a half circle, slowly turning his body to meet it on the other side.

So he'd left first, thus avoiding any unnecessary complications.

The sword pointed straight up to the sun then came down fast, stopping abruptly before hitting the ground.

Several birds scattered from the trees in a cacophony of wings and squawking.

Sasuke breathed in, out, in, out with a deliberate pace, trying to empty his mind.

It wasn't working.

He sheathed his katana and placed the scabbard on the old tree stump a few meters from the corner of his house.

He took two great breaths, collected his thoughts and started again, this time pounding his fists hard into an ancient, hardy tree that more that up to the task and hoping that perhaps this tactic would succeed where all others had failed.

--

"It's been a long time since I saw you, T."

"Shochu," Sasuke ordered and scowled at the man vaguely. "And don't call me 'T'." He slid his fingers under the glass, barely bothering with the pretense of drinking its contents.

"Nothing new," Yoji informed him with eerie joviality. "Oh, except for this." The loud slap of stacked paper hit the bar between the two men with unwarranted ferocity.

Sasuke didn't need eyes to know what it was.

He took a leisurely sip of his drink. "You shouldn't have set out opposing orders," he stated.

"I didn't." Yoji growled with accusation, implying Sasuke was a liar.

The small glass spun like a ballerina between Sasuke's forefinger and thumb. "Sachiko was there."

The newspaper with the uncooperative headline was ripped from the countertop and hurled into a nearby trash bin. A meaty hand slammed the bar top. "She wasn't working for me," Yoji grumbled, exasperation evident.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but didn't ask. Yoji's concerns were not his and the man didn't tend to share anyway.

So Sachiko was working outside the network. Sasuke stowed the information away for possible future reference.

"So," Yoji said, wiping the counter with a wet, and possibly dirty, rag. "How about that last meeting? Anything come of that?"

Sasuke twisted and turned the lip of his glass between his fingers, back and forth like a screw. He brought the glass up to his lips and said, "Not in the way you'd think."

The bartender hummed thoughtfully and threw the rag under the bar with a wet slap. "That request came to me by the most convoluted route." He said. "I should've just left it." He snorted derisively and snatched a bottle from the shelf behind him. "Asked specifically for you and nothing else." The swish and high sound of liquid filling a glass echoed weirdly in the almost empty bar. The man swallowed it back loudly then he slammed it down with a hollow thud. "I knew it'd amount to nothing." He sighed heavily as the weight of his misfortune landed squarely on his shoulders. "And now this thing with Sachiko . . ."

Sasuke waved his hand disinterestedly over the bar where the newspaper had been, indicating that troublesome last job. "You got your cut for that one." He twisted the glass a couple more times, counting off the seconds, and dropped it slowly on its side. Then he stood to leave.

Before he made it to the door, an irate Yoji called after him amidst a clatter of glass bottles, half-full of bad judgment. "Hey! Did that mystery guy even show up?"

Sasuke paused, letting the fog of the street slink in the open doorway and answered simply, "Yes, he did."

--

He made his way through Kirigakure, invisible when he wanted to be, and headed for the one place in town he actually liked.

The shop smelled of dust and history with the barest hint of wood, dry in a town otherwise drenched with humidity. It was crowded with old books and forgotten papers and empty of people, which suited Sasuke just fine.

"Ah, good afternoon, Taka-san!" The old man greeted cheerily in his cracking voice.

Sasuke nodded. "Hiro-san."

The ancient creature hobbled up on creaky bones and Sasuke offered his arm for support. The man took it gratefully, his thin paper hand cool against Sasuke's warm skin. He walked with a great hunched back formed by years of bending over books and ledgers, and a short, shuffling gait. He smelled of age and powder and the recognizable but not easily defined scent of "old man".

"So, what can I do for you today?" Hiro-san asked genially.

Sasuke, familiar with the layout of the store, carefully settled the man into his chair. "I need a new book of poetry."

"Oh? Tired of 'The Wakan Roei Shu'?" The old man asked. He clucked his tongue with disapproval.

"I no longer have it."

"Ah." The old man tapped one bony finger on a stack of books, sending tendrils of dust flying into the air. "There's a nice collection on that shelf, two stacks behind you, four down from the top." Sasuke felt his way along the books until he finally found the one he could read. "I got that one when you requested the other," the man explained, smacking his toothless mouth and folding his hands. "Just in case I might get you to buy another."

"How much?" Sasuke brought the book to the front and slipped his hand in one of the many mysterious folds of his robe.

Hiro-san told him and Sasuke handed over the money, tucking the book under his arm. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the tinkling clack of fine china and caught the sweet scent of tea.

"Join me?" Hiro-san asked, as polite and undemanding as could be.

But Sasuke heard the hopefulness in it and after a moment, nodded his head and sat down.

--

By now, it had been nearly three weeks.

Not so long in the grand scheme of things.

Sasuke leaned over his knees as he sat on the edge of the bed and pressed his hands together. His nerves were still anxious, his mind anything but calmed. He didn't like it. He didn't like the way none of the usual remedies had worked or the way he knew what would.

But he found himself making the seals anyway.

The little black snake with the two orange stripes appeared in an acrid puff of smoke. Sasuke knew he was black with two orange stripes because the creature had seemed excessively proud of this and kept mentioning it on their first meeting until Sasuke acknowledged the fact. Not of course that he could corroborate it, but the snake had been blissfully unconcerned with that.

"What have you for me?" The snake hissed.

Sasuke tossed the small, freshly killed mouse on the bed and the snake snatched it up with alacrity. He took a bit of time to unhinge his jaw and slowly work the meal down his tight throat. Once this was accomplished, he hissed with deep gratification.

"Hebiaya."

"Yesss?"

"I have a job only you can do." Flattery worked best with this haughty little snake. The serpent wound his way around Sasuke's arm, propping his head up so that the two of them could speak on an equal level.

"Oh?" His muscles clenched around Sasuke's forearm as he wove his head side to side. "What is it?"

"I need a message sent."

"A message?" The snake's excitement deflated with a droop of his head.

"A very important message." The assassin accentuated the seriousness of the request.

"Yesss?" Hebiaya urged, once again interested.

"I need you to find someone named Uzumaki Naruto in Konohagakure."

"You do not know where he is?" Now Hebiaya seemed curious, but in a bland sort of way.

"I do not."

Hebiaya's long body straightened, twisting tight until Sasuke's arm went slightly numb. "A quest?"

"Yes," Sasuke said slowly. "A quest. Into enemy territory."

The snake eased his hold a little, weaving again and allowing the blood to flow back into Sasuke's arm. The serpent leaned forward and tasted Sasuke's face with the tip of his tongue.

Hebiaya hissed like a hum, mulling over the possible rewards.

"Very well." He agreed and slipped from Sasuke's arm to the bed, curling his body into a little coil. "Give me this message."

And Sasuke did.

--

The stacks of books acted as a barricade to outside forces as Naruto hunkered down with his treasure behind it. His eyes darted from one book to the other and to the notebook beside him as he quickly jotted down each letter with care. He was getting more proficient, but he was by no means a professional and he hadn't even attempted to do it by touch. He had only so much time he could afford to spend on his little project and it was not sufficient to make him an expert.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto nearly cracked his head against Sakura's when he whirled around.

"Geesh! What's with the sneaking up on people?" Naruto snapped. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Sakura gave him a decidedly dubious look. "You're a ninja." She patted him heartily on the back. "And you're still young." Naruto scowled at her. But Sakura shook her head and lifted her chin to peer over Naruto's shoulder and obtain a better view of his work. "So? What are you doing?"

Panicked, Naruto twisted back around in a wild attempt to cover his work. "Nothing important. Just looking up stuff." He waved vaguely at the stacks of culture and law books he'd surrounded himself with.

"Uh-huh." The look on Sakura's face made it clear she doubted this.

Naruto donned a sour expression after secretly shuffling the incriminating evidence aside. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura planted her hands firmly on her hips. "What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'?" She counted off on her fingers. "First of all, this is a public library. I can be here all I want. And second of all, I came here to see you. IDIOT!" She smacked him soundly on the back of the head.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled.

On cue, a pinch-faced woman with little rat eyes appeared as though by jutsu and shoved her face into the two younger ones. "This is a library," she stated importantly. "If you cannot keep your voices down and your behavior civil, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Yes, ma'am," Sakura answered politely, but Naruto just shot the pink-haired woman a nasty look and gathered up his books. He dropped the few important ones in his bag, slung it over his shoulder and grabbed a stack of the others into his arms. He whispered fiercely to Sakura. "This is your fault."

"_My_ fault?" His friend shot back defensively, but helped with the re-shelving anyway. After the superfluous volumes were returned, Naruto shot Sakura a look and shoved her away. "What's your problem?" She asked.

Naruto didn't answer because he didn't have one.

After borrowing his books, he met Sakura outside as she stood with her arms crossed under her ample chest. She wore a strangely knowing expression. "So, are you going to tell me what that was about?"

"I got to be prepared when I'm Hokage," Naruto said, indicating some of the "safe" volumes.

Sakura looked momentarily stunned but said, "That's true."

They walked in silence together and after a while, Sakura tightened her expression and looked off to the side. There was a cluster of early summer periwinkle flowering by the road. "You remember when you thought you loved me?" She asked suddenly.

Naruto took a quick, curious glance at her. "I did love you. I do."

Sakura rolled her eyes again. "I know that. I love you too." She slapped him playfully in the arm. "I mean when you thought you were _in love_ with me."

"I was in love with you."

"Naruto," she warned.

"Well I was," he reiterated petulantly.

"All right fine." Sakura pursed her lips and stared off in the distance. Naruto re-shouldered his bag, adjusting its unaccustomed weight. Sakura squinted her eyes as the sun dipped behind some clouds. "Well, are you still looking for Sasuke?"

Naruto stopped and gaped at her. "Where did that come from?"

She stopped too and turned on him with a look close to pity. "Are you?"

"No," the blonde asserted as he walked away. "Not still looking for him."

It took several moments for Sakura to catch up. She looked upon her grown friend with an indecipherable expression. "It really is for the best. You know that, right?"

"I know." The man said.

Sakura took his arm and turned him carefully toward her. Her eyes were serious. "Do you?"

Naruto blinked down at her a few times. "I just said so."

Sakura thinned her lips in a sad sort of smile and rubbed his arm. "If there's ever anything you want to talk about. _Anything. _I'm here."

Naruto crinkled his forehead and looked at his friend doubtfully, but nodded his quiet assent, knowing there were some things best left unsaid.

--

He smiled when he completed the poem Sasuke had first read to him. Closing his eyes, he ran his fingers over the little bumps, imagining how they might feel to Sasuke. But Naruto wasn't blind and he would never know quite what Sasuke felt.

The paper pages held Sasuke's scent, obtaining it from the many times he'd run his fingers over them.

Naruto continued to slide his fingertips slowly over the many tiny bumps. A careful, deliberate caress, just like how Sasuke touched him.

It was an innocent action and an innocent project. It was as close as he should ever get to Sasuke again. He knew that, as he knew many things.

Innocent.

Yet Naruto squirmed uncomfortably, and somewhat annoyed, in the off-white sheets of his marriage bed. It was only a book, only a book and yet his hand was creeping down beneath his waistband. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back and let his mouth fall open.

The front door opened and closed loudly.

Naruto tumbled from the bed when he yanked his hand free, barely missing crashing his head on the nightstand.

"Naruto-kun?"

Hinata's voice floated muffled through the closed bedroom door.

"Coming!" He shouted and scrambled to hide his books, his face reddening in shame. He washed his hands, threw some water over his face and dashed out to meet his wife.

"You don't need to come running," Hinata rebuked softly. "Kiba was helping me. I just didn't realize you'd be here."

"Don't be silly," he said, walking up to place a kiss on her cheek. Her skin was soft and sweet as always. He looked around her and saw Kiba loaded with two bags of his own. "Hey, Kiba."

Kiba just looked at him, with a barely a sign of recognition. He adjusted the weight and glanced to the side, blatantly not looking at his friend. Hinata glanced curiously between the two men. Uncomfortable, Naruto quickly took his bags to the kitchen as Hinata turned back to her friend.

Naruto was practically done putting the groceries away by the time his wife walked in. "What was that about?' She asked, clearly concerned.

Naruto shrugged noncommittally. "Kiba's a little mad at me." Hinata's eyebrows pulled together with worry. Naruto grinned reassuringly. "It's nothing. I'll fix it."

His wife pursed her lips but nodded. "Just so long as you do. He's important to me too." She leveled an unusually serious look on Naruto. "I hate to see you fighting."

Naruto continued to nod and unpacked the last of the items.

"So," Hinata began, cheery again now that her piece had been said. "Do you want to help me? I'm making ramen."

"I love ramen!" Naruto exclaimed with forced jollity.

The woman laughed. "I know. Here, take care of these." She handed over some garlic and ginger for him to prepare.

Naruto took them and did as he was told. The familiar smells of soon-to-be ramen quickly filled the kitchen.

After some time passed, Hinata spoke. "How did your mission go?"

"Uh, pretty good." Naruto answered.

"It took longer than I'd expected," Hinata remarked.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said sincerely. "There were some unforeseen problems. I hadn't meant for it to take so long."

Hinata graciously waved off the apology. "That's not the point." She looked up and smiled. "Though I'd rather you were home."

"Me too." Naruto raised his head and offered a shy grin.

"But," the woman said, drawing the word out. "You seem in better spirits. More like yourself."

"I do?"

"Yes." She slid the meat she had neatly chopped to a corner of the board. "I think that you need missions, a little of their excitement, to feel yourself." She shrugged again. "Plus, we could use the extra money."

Naruto nodded. "O.K.," he said, and began to chop the vegetables into little bite-sized pieces.

--

A week had gone by.

Thankfully Hinata was in the kitchen when the little snake popped itself into existence on Naruto's pillow. It curled its tail into a spiral and hunched its head down, the pink tongue flicking the air reproachfully.

"You are not so easy to find, Uzumaki Naruto," the snake hissed.

"I'm in the phonebook," Naruto said, offended. Though this was the first time he'd seen this snake, he didn't seem surprised by it either. Ninja were used to such things.

"I do not use a phonebook," the snake said the last word with obvious disdain.

"Well, then," Naruto said. "There's your problem."

The snake narrowed its yellow slit eyes. "I bring a message from Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto immediately stood up straight, walked to the door and quietly closed it. Then he dropped to the ground in front of the little snake, more interested than he should be. The serpent reeled back in surprise and possibly disgust.

"I am Hebiaya," He stated importantly. "I have two orange stripes."

"Yes." Naruto blinked awkwardly. "You do."

Hebiaya, now having been introduced to Naruto, smiled as much as it was in a snake to smile. "They're very pretty, aren't they? Not all snakes have stripes like this. I am special."

"They're . . . very nice."

The snake preened mightily under the compliment, not realizing that it was ambiguous at best. Naruto stared at the creature and waited, but Hebiaya was in full self-absorbed mode. Naruto prodded, "The message?"

"Oh." Hebiaya clearly deemed this the lesser on his list of priorities. "Uchiha Sasuke wishes to see you. Says to meet at the Willow Tree Inn at the edge of Water Country in three days hence."

Naruto blinked. "Is that all?"

Hebiaya bobbed and tilted his head. "He wishes a response."

Naruto stood, looked at the closed bedroom door to all that lay beyond with a very long, pensive stare. His index finger tapped nervously on his thigh. Then he looked back to the snake with the two orange stripes and the yellow slit eyes.

The man paused a moment more and answered, "Tell him 'yes'."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 13/26

* * *

Chapter 13

The foot came down on the cockroach with the reverberating squish of a death knell. Naruto examined the underneath of his sandal and curled his lip. A good half of the insect had decided it liked his shoe enough that it chose _it_ over the floor. He quickly searched around, but seeing no good place to dispose of the remnants, he picked a bad place instead and scraped the sole of his shoe on the sharp edge of the table leg.

He sighed and scowled over at Sasuke. "What's the deal?" He gestured emphatically at the sorry state of affairs. "Do you only ever stay in rat holes or what?"

Sasuke turned his unnerving dark eyes on the blond. "What, you need a luxury bridal suite now?"

Naruto deepened his frown. "No, but something not bug infested would be good. You know, for a change." He sniffed and looked away. "Someplace nice."

The other man hummed lightly, his eyes half-lidded in thought. "And where would you suggest?"

"I don't know." Naruto scuffed his foot against the splintered wood of floor, managing to partially dislodge the glued entrails of the roach. "Your home?"

When Sasuke didn't answer, Naruto looked up at him timidly from below his lowered lashes. When Sasuke still did nothing, Naruto spun on his heel and faced the window, dirty from years of neglect.

"Never mind."

Sasuke was on him in moments.

The heat of his abnormally warm skin enfolded Naruto like a blanket. Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, low and seductive. "So you want to see where I live, hm?"

Naruto caught his breath then frowned, refusing to answer. Through the grime and shadows, he could hardly see anything in the town but a few ghostly lights and the top edge of a nearby building.

Sasuke adjusted the tilt of his head. "You want to see my home, do you?"

Naruto crossed his arms sternly over his chest. "I'm not playing this game."

"Everything's a game," Sasuke informed him as he dragged a long breath over the back of Naruto's neck.

Naruto swallowed and tightened the line of his lips.

Sasuke exhaled thickly over the shell of Naruto's ear and the blonde's heart jumped into his throat and dropped back down again.

"Do you want to see where I think of you?" Sasuke slid two fingers across the exposed nape so lightly they almost didn't touch. The heat of them tingled down every nerve of Naruto's spine. "And entertain myself?"

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw.

"What would you possibly want to do there that you couldn't do here?" Sasuke's body was directly behind Naruto's as he snuck a little closer so Naruto felt the weight of him from his shoulder to his toes.

The back of his jaw and teeth hurt.

"Do you want to do sweet, painful, nasty little things?" Sasuke combed the blond hair from the back of Naruto's neck until only skin remained. He almost touched his lips to the bones of spine and whispered, teasing the name over his tongue, "Naruto?"

Naruto gasped and lurched forward, his hands groping for purchase on the windowsill and making the ancient wood creak. Sasuke's arm wrapped around the blonde's waist, pulled him even closer, and drew his fingers low across Naruto's stomach. He lightly scraped the sensitive skin with the tip of one fingernail. Naruto's breath came short and ragged, uneven and dissatisfying.

"There's no one else out there." The words burned against Naruto's spine, soft with the closeness of lips.

Sasuke drew his nail back up, over Naruto's belly, up to his chest, leaving one little red line in its passing. "You can scream all you want. No one will be there to hear." He pressed the full weight of his body against Naruto's, heavy and insistent, pushing Naruto's hips tight to the window. "Do you want to scream?" He exhaled long and deep, wet and warm on Naruto's skin. "Hmm?"

Naruto shuddered, the low voice filling his senses like water. He moistened his lips, breathed once and answered in a rough whisper, "Yes."

Sasuke's purr of approval fired off every synapse of Naruto's body. "Then come," he said and laid one gentle kiss on Naruto's neck.

Naruto's body convulsed.

And then the warmth, the weight of air and presence was gone and Sasuke was standing at the door.

Naruto craned his head back over his shoulder and glowered. "Bastard," he spat.

But Sasuke just smiled like a Cheshire cat and gestured out the door with his head.

Neatening himself as much as possible, Naruto pulled his jacket down over his waist and scowled at Sasuke with indignation. "Can't I change or something first?"

Sasuke's grin became even more self-satisfied. "Now or never, Naruto."

Naruto pouted, but knew it wouldn't work. Sasuke would never be swayed by such simple gestures. Reluctantly, he followed the bastard out into the street. Slowly, Sasuke turned to him and his expression let Naruto know something bad was coming.

"See if you can keep up." There was a hint of challenge to it and then Sasuke was gone, disappearing into the murky village.

Naruto swore. He'd lost the game before it even started and Sasuke would never let him live it down.

But then he caught sight of his prey, leaping across the rooftops and quickly gave chase.

As he hit the roof he cursed Sasuke's name, but after a while the smile on his face belied the fact that he was actually rather enjoying himself.

--

Naruto landed with a thump and furiously dragged air into his lungs in a desperate attempt to prevent passing out. His vision hadn't yet cleared from black and white dizziness and his stomach was beginning to sour.

In front of him, Sasuke clicked his tongue. "You really are out of shape." Naruto lifted his head and glared. Sasuke seemed absolutely, utterly, perfectly fine.

Naruto wanted to maul him to pieces.

"Shut up," He managed to yell between gasps, irritated that Sasuke was probably right. He didn't know how he let himself end up in such a humiliating condition.

Sasuke smiled, that almost but not quite smile, and turned around to scale a gentle incline. Long grass gracefully swept the edge of his robe as he walked so that it looked like he was floating.

With a low growl and a last intake of breath to normal, Naruto straightened up. He stared after Sasuke, elegant in blue and black in a sea of emerald green. It was only now that he saw the house. It was a small wood and paper house, traditionally made and situated on the crest of a small hill. There was a porch around two sides with a hammock strung oddly from a couple of the support posts. Naruto raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

As he followed Sasuke's path, the trodden blades of grass folded gently beneath his feet, scattering insects and tiny animals in every direction. The small meadow was surrounded on all sides by tall, old trees, isolated and picturesque and quiet. Naruto could tell it wasn't too far from Kirigakure, but up here, higher in the mountains, the mist didn't penetrate as much. The clouds here were mostly up in the sky where they belonged and the sun was halfway behind them so that the summer heat wasn't quite as oppressive as it could be.

He followed quickly yet reluctantly through the open door into which Sasuke had disappeared. He removed his shoes, set them neatly beside Sasuke's and smiled at the picture of them together. Then he stepped up into the house.

It was barely a house.

The ostensible "living room" was just one large room attached to the bedroom. To be precise, there was a bed in one corner, a sofa and table in the other and bookshelves lining the walls. Besides a few knickknacks and whatnot, that was the total of it. Naruto turned to the left and saw the wide open of an alley kitchen, almost entirely exposed to the main room. Sasuke was there, opening a cabinet and clucking his tongue quickly against the roof of his mouth. Naruto looked at him strangely.

He didn't see a bathroom.

A furry little body rubbed along Naruto's leg briefly on its way to the kitchen and the blond jumped. Then he watched the calico black, white, and orange cat walk up to Sasuke and stand in straight-legged impatience as the man twisted the key to a can opener. The cat showed no interest in Sasuke, but was wholly enthralled by the can of food dropped in front of it, quickly gobbling it up and licking the plate clean in record time.

Sasuke sat down at the kitchen table.

Leaning on the kitchen entrance wall, Naruto observed the cat intently. "I didn't know you had a pet," he said.

"He's not a pet." Sasuke leaned over to pick the cat up whom, after finishing his meal, had walked up to Sasuke and purred. "He just moved in."

Naruto watched curiously as Sasuke blew gently on the cat's face as he cradled him and scratched him gently beneath the chin.

"What's his name?" Naruto asked.

The cat arched his head for better access and purred contentedly.

"Na-chan."

"Na-chan?" Naruto raised his eyebrows.

Sasuke dropped the cat to the floor and stood, walking to the next room with the cat following close behind. Naruto bent down to grab little Na-chan as he passed, but the cat mewed irritably and danced expertly out of the way.

Sasuke laughed; a dry sound, practiced but with no humor.

"He doesn't like me," Naruto grumbled.

"He's a cat," Sasuke observed wryly.

Sasuke faced Naruto as the cat darted between his legs and leapt onto the couch, giving Naruto a hard, feline stare.

"Na-chan?" Naruto repeated mischievously.

Sasuke smirked, strolled back up to him, leaned in close and whispered meaningfully. "We didn't come here to talk about my cat."

The cat mewled plaintively.

"I thought you said he wasn't yours," Naruto teased.

In response, Sasuke scratched Naruto twice beneath the chin then smoothly took Naruto's hand in his own.

Naruto's heart squeezed in on itself and his breath caught.

And Sasuke led him wordlessly to the bed.

--

Naruto had been stupid enough to ask.

And Sasuke had replied, "That apparently some people were so dense as to not notice a door next to the bookshelves leading to the toilet and a whole other building outside that served as the bathhouse.

"Usuratonkachi."

--

Much later found them entwined in the hammock. It swayed lazily with their combined weight and with the push of Sasuke's leg over the side. Naruto nestled into Sasuke, fitting into the curve and form of him perfectly.

"I like this," he remarked contentedly.

"I'm surprised it could support all the extra weight," Sasuke blandly returned.

Naruto punched him playfully in the shoulder and Sasuke elbowed him lightly in the ribs in retaliation.

Naruto felt a pain burst behind his eyes.

After pushing them to swing with a little more force, Sasuke irritably addressed Naruto's encroaching tears. "What's_ wrong_ with you?"

The blond sniffed and pressed his face into Sasuke's shoulder. It sounded like he tried to say "nothing", but the word was absorbed by the shirt's fabric. Eventually, once his irrationality had subsided, he turned his head up to look at the wide expanse of nature visible over the curve of Sasuke's shoulder. Then he looked up to those deep black eyes, open and seeing nothing.

The sun had sunk low behind the trees, painting their edges in a warm red glow. Waves of summer heat blurred the sight of grass in the meadow before him.

The cicadas were humming.

"Sasuke?" Naruto ventured cautiously.

"Hm?"

"What do you do?"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke was being purposefully obtuse.

"I mean, where did you get the money for this place?"

"I'm a freelancer."

It was an intentional evasion and Naruto knew it. He frowned.

The cicadas' pulsing drone increased momentarily before fading back out.

"Freelancer of what?" He pressed.

"Naruto." Sasuke's voice held a threatening edge to it, but Naruto refused to back down.

"It's bad, isn't it?" It was the stupidest question he'd ever asked in his life.

"Who's to say what's bad?"

"You know what I mean," Naruto argued sulkily.

The body beneath him stiffened and began to rise from the fabric, away from Naruto. "If you want to leave . . ."

Sasuke said it so innocently.

"No!?" Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's robe, holding on tight, and his hand trembling slightly. The hammock rocked crazily on its hooks, almost knocking Naruto out. "No," he said more calmly. "I don't want to leave."

Sasuke settled back down, a little rigid and standoffish at first but as Naruto continued to hold on tight, he eased back until they were almost the way they were before. Almost but not quite, the way Sasuke did nearly everything.

The hammock settled down to an easy swing. A slight breeze across the grass mirrored the movement.

Na-chan magically reappeared, leapt onto the rail, curled into a ball and stared at them with big green eyes. He flicked his tail sharply against the banister over and over again, ticking off the time with each successive thump. His neck curved down as he growled soft and deep in his throat.

Naruto watched him and snuggled closer into Sasuke's welcome warmth.

"Maybe it doesn't matter."

Na-chan pinched his eyes closed, yawned, and looked away.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 14/26

* * *

Chapter 14

Sasuke fingered the little slip of paper repeatedly as if doing so would give him answers to questions he shouldn't ask.

He was the executioner.

Executioners did not ask.

But he had.

And Yoji had not been pleased.

"This isn't a negotiation," the handler had told him without quarter.

Sasuke could have argued the point, but instead he'd simply taken the slip of paper. He took it all the way to the inn and up to his rented room. Then he let the little piece of paper burn up in a single flame and lay back onto the bed.

It was uncomfortable, the mattress hard and lumpy with broken springs that poked up into his back. He stretched himself spread eagle over it and felt strange and awkward. It was cold somehow too, which had never been a problem before, not with his internal Uchiha fire working properly. And he wasn't sick. Aside from the unease, he felt perfectly healthy.

He grumbled and sat up quickly, pocketed his wallet, and nearly tripped over his bag in his haste, as he stormed out the door in a huff.

--

The village was its normal busy, hazy self, but it didn't seem to help much. Sasuke stopped by a food stand and bought some takoyaki, but that actually made things worse, turning his dizzy headache into a sick one. In a last ditch bid to settle his body, he sat down in a spare patch of earth by a wall and leaned his head back, willing himself better.

Oddly enough, it helped a little.

He screwed up his face in consternation. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt sick. Only this didn't feel like illness; it felt more like nerves, reminding him a bit of the first serious mission he'd on back in Konoha with Naruto and Sakura.

It bothered him.

It bothered him a lot.

He was the executioner.

All he had to do was get the name and pull the blade.

He banged his head on the back of the wall and bided his time.

--

He was early, standing stock-still in the alley, unseen and unknown in the darkness that was his friend. The air was quiet and still warm from long days of summer heat.

He felt the woman's presence long before she chose to make herself known. He smirked.

She appeared, suddenly to her mind, from the shadows and greeted him icily with, "I need you to rid me of my brother."

A year ago, he'd rid her of her father. Apparently she was going through her family one by one until they were all smoke in the sky. An uncomfortable bitterness settled in his gut.

He turned to the voice, with bile in the back of his throat. "Your last obstacle?"

The woman bristled. "That is none of your concern."

It wasn't.

Sasuke imagined she was an ugly woman; she sounded it. She sounded like a woman so bitter and angry and grasping that any loveliness she might have possessed was nullified by her constant dour expression.

"Why do you want him killed?" Sasuke asked bluntly, far past the point of patience or tact.

The woman barely restrained herself from stamping her foot like a child. "There aren't supposed to be any questions." She sounded like the spoiled girl Sasuke very much suspected she was. Then she added sulkily, "There weren't any the last time."

A rat squeaked and scrambled from one side of the alley to the other, almost over Sasuke's toes.

"There are now," the assassin stated without compromise.

He knew the woman was grinding her teeth; he could almost hear the abrasive crush of enamel.

"Answer my question or our business is at an end," Sasuke said, failing to add that it was the most likely outcome regardless.

"I can find someone else," the woman snapped.

"I'm sure you can." Sasuke turned his back on her, utterly unconcerned. He waited the count of ten seconds then silently went on his way. He had only made it about three steps when he heard the woman call after him.

"Wait!" Her voice was sharp and far too loud, bouncing off the dark walls and out into the street for everyone to hear, if anyone cared. She caught herself and added more quietly, "He's a covetous, mean, spiteful man who will allow me none of what is rightfully mine." As if the added assertion would somehow help her cause, she ended with, "He's in my way."

Sasuke faced out to the street, and could hear the distant sounds of a Kirigakure night.

A moment later, to both their surprises, he replied, "I can't help you."

"What?!" The woman screeched, in complete disregard of who could hear them.

Sasuke blinked as if doing so would clear the muddle of his head, but after a minute, the answer was still inexplicably, unnervingly, the same. "You'll have to find someone else."

"But I . . . you . . ." the woman sputtered, too taken aback to give full coherent vent to her rage.

More controlled, Sasuke continued. "A replacement can be found for you easily enough. I'll handle things." He turned his head to the side so that it at least seemed as though he were talking to her directly.

"What? But . . ." the woman continued aimlessly.

Having nothing to say, Sasuke nodded his head once in farewell and melted soundlessly into the shadows.

As he made his way through the twists and turns of the city, attended by the sound of guttering lamps and turbulent people, he nearly lost his way on long familiar roads.

--

--

The raucous laughter of school children, accompanied by the raucous laughter of their teacher- supposedly their authority figure – filled the campus yard. On such a fine summer day, Naruto decided playing a rousing game of tag would be more beneficial than studying.

The kids were running crazy circles around Naruto as he tried to catch them. Since the children were so small, aged five to seven, his role was more that of babysitter than teacher, but he didn't mind. He finally caught one of them, a little boy with short spiky hair who giggled like mad when Naruto lifted him high into the air.

"Ha!" Naruto cried. "I got you! Now you're it!"

But the boy turned on him as quickly as milk outside on a hot summer day.

"Get him!" The child shouted in his high, undeveloped octave.

"Huh?" Naruto gazed at his captive in blinking confusion and in the next moment was surrounded by a pack of tiny, laughing youngsters. They attacked.

"Wha-wha-ah!" Naruto fell almost immediately under the combined weight of fifteen children.

They cheered their victory then took off again, some more successful than others amid the huge tangle of limbs.

Then class was over.

"All right!" Naruto yelled, a child held firmly under each arm. "That's it for today! Now get cleaned up and head home!"

There was a general grumble of disappointment, but Naruto laughed it off as he set his two prisoners down.

When the last of the kids was on their way, Naruto turned to leave, wondering if he'd have ever have a child he could call his own.

And then he thought of what that would mean and his cheery mood slowed.

--

Naruto took his regular route home and when he saw Akamaru sitting outside the Yamanaka flower shop, he figured it must be destiny.

Moments later, Kiba stumbled awkwardly into Naruto's path after being forcibly pushed back out of the shop and into the street, accompanied by Ino's shrieking, "And stay out!"

Luckily, Akamaru was there to cushion Kiba's fall and the man landed gratefully into the big pile of fur that was his friend. He wrestled himself back out again and brushed off the copious amount of stray hair that had deposited itself onto his shirt. "Crazy woman!" He complained as he picked fur from his sleeve. Quickly giving up the fruitless task, he turned and patted Akamaru on his big, broad side. "Thanks pal."

Naruto stood watching sheepishly from the side of the road and decided it was time to make himself known. "Hi."

The dog ninja whirled. His face closed down while his hand, nestled in Akamaru's fur, tightened its grip. "What do you want?"

Naruto's eyes and mouth pinched in with pain at the corners. "Don't be like that."

The other man huffed noncommittally and faced away, his back very straight. "What was it you wanted again?"

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted uneasily onto his left foot. "Aren't we supposed to be friends?"

"Yeah?" It was pitched like a question, but one that held no interest.

Naruto released a deep, frustrated sigh and buried his feet into the ground. "What's your problem?"

"What's yours?" Kiba snapped back.

Akamaru whined high in his throat, big eyes darting from one man to the other. He didn't like fighting among friends.

Naruto wanted to tell Kiba to "stop acting like a girl", but wisely held his tongue on that point. Instead he said, "C'mon, don't be stubborn. You really want to fight over something stupid?"

Inuzuka sighed and slumped his shoulders. "_You_ were the one all crazy temperamental like a girl. _I _didn't do anything."

Again, Naruto wisely kept his peace. Alternatively, he chose to take Kiba response as a favorable sign. He slung his arm around his newly reacquainted friend's shoulder and grinned. "Why don't you come over to my place?"

"You smell weird," Kiba remarked, his nose crinkling.

"I do not," Naruto refuted, feeling distinctly offended. "Now are you coming or not?"

Kiba frowned vaguely. "What for?"

Naruto shook him companionably. "Dinner." He grinned even wider. "Besides, Hinata will want to see you."

Kiba turned his head towards Akamaru's fur so Naruto couldn't see his face. It took him a long time to reply, but when he did it was hesitant, "All right."

Akamaru barked his approval and let his tongue loll out to side, cooling him off from the hot summer sun.

--

After dinner, Kiba and Hinata settled in for a happy reminiscence of times Naruto didn't share. Akamaru curled his big bulk beside them and gnawed on a bone, content at the newly reestablished status quo.

Naruto didn't begrudge them their shared memories; he had many of his own, and gave them their time as he headed to the bedroom.

He felt better now that everyone was on good terms again, but other than that he was restless.

Every nerve in his body was buzzing and his muscles were anxious for activity. He was glad that he and Kiba seemed all right again but he still didn't feel at ease.

He rolled onto his side and gazed out the window. The new moon left a black hole in the heavens, but under the glow of streetlamps he could see the outlines of nearby buildings. It was a different view than that of their apartment and carried with it a completely different mood.

It was getting late, but he wasn't the least bit tired. In fact, he doubted he would get any sleep at all tonight.

His hand gripped the bedspread, soft and used beneath his fingers.

This was his house, his and Hinata's, in a way nothing else had been before.

Soft voices reached him through the closed door, a pleasant, distant sound he couldn't quite make out.

Unbidden, another house appeared in his mind's eye, a secret house in a secret place that was his too, but in altogether separate way. In theory, now that he knew where it was, he could go there whenever he wanted.

For Sasuke, it was practically an open invitation.

One of the lamps outside burned incandescent for a second then went out.

With a fluttery anticipation in his stomach, Naruto decided that an open invitation was supposed to be taken and resolved to do just that.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 15/26

* * *

Chapter 15

Not even the birds dared make a sound when Sasuke practiced; they had learned better than to let themselves become collateral damage. He flicked the new folding shuriken expertly out of his hands, aiming for a dozen targets he couldn't see. He flipped head over heels in the air, dashed from one side to the next, pushed of the side of a tree and landed with feline grace in the long grass. He raised his hand and the shuriken flew to his open palm as though attached by a string. He let the points fold into one and dropped it straight down to the ground where it firmly embedded itself. For a mere second he took a breath then spun to the side, pulling out a kunai and shooting it in a completely new direction. It hit with a reverberating thump into the trunk of a tree, making its leaves shower down to the ground.

Sasuke stood up tall and silent.

"You can come out, Naruto."

Naruto pressed himself tight against the tree he hid behind, but it was futile. He awkwardly emerged.

"Aw, man," he whined, folding his hands back behind his head. He stepped out only far enough so that he stood just in front of the line of trees.

Sasuke sneered, titled his head, and beckoned with a crook of his finger.

Wary, but transfixed, Naruto obeyed. The instant he was within striking distance, Sasuke struck, hitting him square on the jaw and sent the unprepared Naruto flying, skipping over the grass a few times like a stone on water, before finally landing in a cloud of dust.

Sasuke stood unmoving from his last position, his left hand stretched out straight in front of him.

Naruto looked up and glared, his mouth curving down into a deep frown. "What the hell was that for?!"

The sneer on Sasuke's face smoothed away to nothingness. Slowly, he dropped his hand, turning his back. "You're rusty," he intoned flatly.

Naruto's frown grew deeper. "That doesn't give you the right to attack me for no reason." Inwardly he winced at the implied admission.

"Let's spar."

Blinking free of his momentary lapse, Naruto asked smartly, "What?"

"You're rusty," Sasuke explained with infinite patience. "Let's spar. You need the practice."

Naruto rolled up to his feet and stared at Sasuke, who looked entirely unconcerned by any attack that might come his way. Naruto's chest rose and fell with increasing rhythm with so many emotions even _he_ couldn't pinpoint its exact source. But the edge of his lip slowly curled into a feral grimace. His fists tightened into two solid masses, hard as rocks. His legs trembled, begging to move.

Sasuke simply stood there, not facing him, not caring.

Naruto hated that with every fiber of his being.

He launched.

The punch he aimed for Sasuke's midsection missed by a long shot as Sasuke dodged easily out of the way. Then he used Naruto's strong, outstretched arm as a balance to propel himself into the air and in one elegant arc swung around to kick Naruto right in the side of his head, sending him soaring once more.

Naruto scrambled to his feet and rapidly made the necessary hand signs so that four copies of his self appeared in the space around him. They attacked. Sasuke countered. The blind man danced clear and flung kunai with deadly accuracy, each one hitting the mark and dissipating the jutsu. He once again stood calmly, his right leg stretched crossways behind his left and staring at Naruto with those unnerving eyes. His face was a blank mask.

Predictably, this only served to irritate Naruto further. He crouched down low and whipped several shuriken from his packs, shooting them forward with unnatural speed at Sasuke. With a set of his own shuriken appearing mysteriously, Sasuke hit each weapon squarely, so they ricocheted in all directions.

Naruto cursed lightly and created three shadow clones, directing them to his target from three different directions. They kicked and punched as Sasuke blocked and dodged, seemingly faster than when he had the sharingan, and soon those clones too were gone. It's exactly what Naruto was waiting for. While Sasuke was defending, Naruto ran forward, masking his movement and chakra and mixing it in with the clones' so that the instant they disappeared, Naruto found his much-needed opening. He struck.

This time he made contact.

He felt the solid crack of bone beneath his knuckles as Sasuke's head whipped back.

"Teme," Naruto growled low in his chest like an untamed beast.

But when Sasuke turned back, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, he was smirking with distinct satisfaction.

Gradually, a grin stole across Naruto's face as he realized that the blood in his veins wasn't just boiling.

It was singing.

Then he hopped backwards, just barely evading the last-second fire jutsu Sasuke shot toward his head.

The fight had only just begun.

--

Once the air had cooled and the sun had begun to dip towards the horizon, the two men could be found lying side by side in the soft grass, sweating and panting, bruised and bleeding.

Naruto couldn't stop grinning, even through the pain.

He swallowed back the thick spit in his mouth, desperate for a glass of water. The he turned his head to Sasuke and smiled. "That was fun."

The cicadas picked up their drone, evidently agreeing.

Sasuke snorted and smirked gracefully as he stared up at the sky, long lines of sweat trailing down his face to his throat.

Naruto's smile turned soft as he watched him, the pale muscled chest rising and falling at regular intervals. Sasuke was already calmed from their fight, comfortable as if it had been nothing more but a little jog in the park. Meanwhile, Naruto could feel the stitch in his side and the heavy weariness that went down to the center of his bones.

He_ was_ out of shape.

Bastard was right.

The insects had receded to a strange, distant presence, unimportant to anyone but themselves.

Naruto looked up to the sky in its darkening blue and flexed his arms and legs. The muscles were still there, just not as strong or toned as they once had been. He didn't used to get so winded, either. It was so bad that he was nearly deafened by the sound of his own breath. He inhaled deeply and held it until it slowed.

A hush fell over the meadow.

He put his hand to his chest and felt his heart's rapid beat.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto looked awkwardly down at himself, then back to the sky above. "Just thinking you're right."

Sasuke snorted. "Of course I'm right."

Naruto frowned but said, "I haven't had a good workout like this in . . . well . . . longer than I can remember." He dropped his hand to his side and sighed. "I'd forgotten how good it felt."

"I know."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, making the spikes stick up even worse than normal. "I'm not in that bad shape, you know," he grumbled. "Just a little out of practice."

"I know."

There was a gentle wind, wafting the scent of fresh grass and sweat over them, filling their noses.

Then Sasuke turned to face Naruto. He couldn't physically see him, yet his eyes bored through the unending darkness straight to Naruto's skin. The blond possessed his own distinct smell like all people did, sour and sweet and clean with sweat.

Sasuke didn't dislike it.

He continued to stare as though he could see and began to clench his hands so tight he nearly drew blood with his fingernails. His heart, calmed from the fight, now began to race again. He practically threw himself to his feet.

"Stand up," he commanded.

The suddenness of it stunned Naruto. "What?" He looked confusedly up at his old friend.

"Stand up," Sasuke repeated and even held out his hand. Naruto scowled at the offer and hauled himself to his feet unaided.

"Strip."

Naruto almost fell back down. "What?"

"You heard me."

Naruto pouted and cradled his arms around his body as if he were naked already in a roomful of wide-eyed people. "I'm not going to do that," he whined, "We're out in the open."

The isolation of the place reasserted itself when all of nature quieted.

"Don't be such a kid," Sasuke chastised. "There's no one around for acres," He assured with growing irritation. "And it's not like you haven't been naked in front of me before."

"Still," Naruto continued, his eyes darting as if he expected someone to jump out from behind the trees.

"Naruto," Sasuke repeated with exasperation. But Naruto's gaze flicked back, examining Sasuke intently. Because Sasuke's voice wasn't just frustrated. There was a tinge of something else in it, a broken sound Naruto had never heard in it before.

He dropped his arms.

There was a thick crease between Sasuke's eyebrows, too high on his face for anger.

Naruto swallowed lightly and took hold of his zipper tog. At the sound of the teeth unlatching, Sasuke visibly relaxed.

Naruto removed his jacket, quickly followed by his shirt and dropped them to the ground beside him. Sasuke's eyes were distant and this time Naruto knew it wasn't the blindness but something deeper. The man was no longer in the field with him, but someplace else, someplace private.

Naruto kicked off his sandals and threw his pants to the pile so that he stood there in nothing but his underwear. Sasuke slowly began to refocus on him, but remained motionless. Naruto pursed his lips and took another look around. They were absolutely, utterly alone. No reason to hesitate. He swallowed.

Then he took off the last of his clothes and slowly straightened up.

Sasuke took a patient step forward knowing without being told that Naruto had done as he'd asked. His hands, slow, and slightly trembling, went not to any of Naruto's normally unexposed skin, but to the top of his head. Naruto's eyebrows pinched in with confusion, but he didn't flinch. It was a battle not to; being so exposed was both unsettling and embarrassing, but he saw in Sasuke's eyes, in the set of his jaw, something unnamed that held him in place. Sasuke threaded his long fingers through the blond hair, pulling the strands gently out to the ends. He continued in this way for a while then slowly slid his hands down to the sides of Naruto's head, his fingers tracing the edges of his ears and the line his jaw. The fingers then moved back to his face and repeated the ritual he had done when first they'd met, only this time with more care and deliberation.

The crease in Sasuke's brow deepened and Naruto closed his eyes only when Sasuke's hands forced him to. He opened them again as soon as Sasuke moved lower, sinking his thumbs into the curve of collarbone, dip of throat, and valley of breastbone. It was like what Sasuke had done to him that first confused, flustered night, except that this was not sexual in any way. It was a study, a mapping of each curve and indentation. Despite this, and his discomfort and the chill in the air, Naruto's breath started coming in short, fast, unsatisfying gulps. But he kept his body still.

Once Sasuke had run his hands over Naruto's knees, down the shinbones, and even to the very ends of his toes, he stood and circled around behind and did the same thing, this time staring from his heels, up to his thighs, the small of his back to his shoulder blades.

Sasuke's fingers had felt and recorded every centimeter of Naruto's skin before finally resting on the swell of his shoulders near his neck.

Naruto didn't know how much time had passed, but it was long enough for the moon to have risen. Only the twinkling of stars and the blinking of fireflies accompanied its pale light. He was afraid to speak, to his ears even his breathing sounded offensive.

Now that Sasuke had finished, Naruto could hear the slight catch in the man's breath. He wondered how long Sasuke had been breathing that way, this sound of holding back and holding in.

Then Sasuke bent his head forward and rested his crown at the back of Naruto's neck. Soft, long black hairs tickled along Naruto's spine.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak.

Sasuke beat him to it. "I'm going inside," he declared tonelessly and walked by Naruto without any further acknowledgement on his way to the house.

Naruto blinked after him. Then he started to follow, belatedly recalling that he was about to leave his clothes behind and not knowing when or how he'd forgotten he wasn't wearing them.

He gathered them into his arms and padded softly in Sasuke's footsteps.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 16/26

* * *

Chapter 16

There was an uncommon gravity to the bar as Sasuke sat at his usual seat and twirled an empty glass between his fingers. No little slip of paper clung to the base of the glass this time. After reneging on a second assignment, Sasuke was lucky the drink hadn't been spiked with poison just out of spite. Sasuke's handler had been silently stewing over him since he'd appeared, sending waves of animosity at Sasuke like little heat-seeking missiles.

"So," Yoji finally said with forced civility, "Are you going to tell me what's going on or am I going to have to cut you loose?"

Sasuke blinked slowly, knowing that "cutting loose" was the term typically used for firing an assassin – permanently. The only reason this hadn't been attempted yet was that Sasuke was plain and simply one of Yoji's best and most valuable assets.

"I need new assignments."

"New assignments?" The man lifted his chin from the bar and swiped away the oily traces of his skin with a cloth. "What do you think this is, a temp agency?"

Sasuke wanted to say that yes, at its basest core, it was. But that was not exactly helpful. "I have the right to turn down requests."

"Rights," the handler scoffed.

"I could do some other type of assignment."

"What? Waste you on some shit spy or bodyguard duty?" Yoji cursed under his breath once he realized he'd spoken both too frank and too loud. Thankfully, there were only a couple other people in the bar and they hadn't been paying attention to anything besides their drinks. Yoji lowered his voice to a rumbling whisper. "You're here for one reason and one reason alone. You don't quit, and you don't get to pick and choose."

Sasuke rapped the glass against the bar top. "I choose or I don't do it," he persisted.

A fist slammed the bar, waking one of the other customers, who flustered incoherently before drooping his head back down. Yoji's breath, low and hard, echoed in Sasuke's ears.

"You got to turn down one job. Now you'll do the assignments I tell you to, or we're done. Understood?" Even a layman could understand that threat.

Sasuke stared, as he always did, at nothing. The truth was he _could_ walk away. Just get up, walk out the door right now, and never look back. He could vanish into the darkness and leave everything and everyone behind. He'd done it before.

He put the glass down and slipped off the stool. Yoji's harsh breathing was still the most identifiable noise in the room.

"Taka," the man warned a moment before Sasuke was about to leave. "You never had a problem with any of this before."

Sasuke slipped his fingers slowly off the edge of the counter. He lifted his head, facing the exit. "It's my prerogative," he stated plainly, "to change my mind."

--

He'd lost most of the previous night to oblivion.

Sasuke had wandered around town for a bit before settling on a "meeting house", nondescript from all others. He'd had scotch, not his normal drink of choice, with ice that clinked like crystal in cheap glasses. He remembered someone – not Naruto – coming up to him, coming on to him, begging him to come away. It was someone he thought he knew, but couldn't quite remember. The man had refilled his drink, once maybe twice. Sasuke wasn't interested and was certain he'd refused, but his memory started to cloud over at this point. He vaguely recalled an alley, like any other alley in the world. The not-Naruto boy was with him. Things seriously became unclear then, Sasuke's mind becoming so murky at that point that he couldn't think and hardly stand up straight, even at the time. Everything went black. All that existed between the alley and waking up naked in his usual room was a big, blank space.

In the morning when he woke, he vomited up everything he'd eaten in the last twenty-three years. And still his stomach had heaved. His head throbbed, making reason a challenge. He needed to be sharp. He had an assignment.

Escaping this life wouldn't be easy; he'd known that when he'd signed up. Before, it hadn't mattered. Before, he couldn't imagine a reason why he would ever change his mind.

Before, everything was different.

He adjusted the ice pack on his head and tried to numb the ache.

--

In the darkness, everyone looked the same, just so long as he didn't touch them. And he didn't want to touch them; didn't want to know them. He preferred they remain nothing more than names on a list, paychecks in his pocket.

They had no inherent value in and of themselves.

He shouldn't have asked the woman why she wanted her husband dead, but he had.

She'd claimed him as an evil man who abused her and her children, keeping them prisoners in their own home.

All logic and instinct told him she was a liar and a good one. One who uses the truth and twists it, but a liar nonetheless.

He took the job.

The chair he now sat in was old, hard in some places from dried stains with a series of rips in the left arm. He fiddled the loose strings with his finger.

He'd been waiting a long time, though in some ways not so long, for the husband to arrive home. He sat in the darkness because it meant nothing to him but would to the man, as light and dark always did to those who could differentiate between them.

One of the strings began to pull free of the chair under Sasuke's constant needling. He took the rough, frayed length of thread and yanked. It broke away easily with barely a snap.

The front door opened and a man walked inside.

Sasuke had lost all track of time. He heard the click of a light switching on and the low hum of electricity most people never noticed.

"Who do you think you are? Get out of my house!" The man challenged brazenly, as though intruders were commonplace.

It was not the voice of an evil man, but Sasuke wasn't sure such a thing even existed. A sweet exterior could hide a malicious inside just as easily as an ugly one.

That's why darkness was good.

That's why blindness was fortunate.

Sasuke rose languidly from the chair. He could smell fear in the air, the smell of sweat but sharper, a sort of acidic quality that didn't exist otherwise.

"I'm sorry, Asami-san. I'm here to kill you."

He wasn't sorry.

"What?!" The man bellowed, nervous but indignant. "You can't just come in here, into _my_ _home_ and threaten me!"

Sasuke never spoke to a mark; it was a rule, never declared but understood.

One would think the man Asami would run upon receiving a death threat, but one would be wrong. The man remained exactly where he was.

For an instant, Sasuke thought that an abusive man shouldn't sound so surprised, but then checked himself. There were no rules for such things.

Sasuke grasped the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it. The man stupidly still did not move, like a rabbit caught frozen in the sights of a predator.

Sasuke stalled.

He never stalled; had no reason to for such weakness.

The man made a little noise in the back of his throat and took a careful step back towards the door, realizing his peril at last.

Sasuke re-gripped the sword, comfortable in his hand, and moved faster.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 17/26

* * *

Chapter 17

It was well into the summer months and the sun was out in full force to celebrate it. The heat was tempered by a light breeze blowing in from the lake, picking up a little moisture to cool the air down.

Naruto had finished the book.

It seemed a strange accomplishment. The task had felt like it had taken forever, hours and hours away from all his other duties and commitments, but he had done it. He grinned widely and stared up at the trees, the searing sun blinking at him through the breaks in foliage. Reaching over, he picked up both books, Sasuke's original and his own translation. He compared them side-by-side and smiled. They were very different, Sasuke's well-worn but neatly leather bound volume and Naruto's plain notebook copy. Yet they contained within them the same things.

He didn't need Sasuke's book anymore, but he wanted it.

He dropped the two volumes by his side and looked back up to the glittering sunlight.

Without conscious effort, his mind traveled back to that last day together, recalling how Sasuke's careful hands traced his every curve.

And he remembered, blushing though there was no one to see and no one to know, what had happened later. It was different that time. Slow and soft and lingering, Sasuke had brought him to the brink, drowning in his need, and held him there until he'd begged.

Until he'd cried.

He'd known it the minute Sasuke had looked at him that something had changed.

The blind man had narrowed his eyes and forced the pupils to dilate, as though he was desperate to see.

It had never been like that before.

Naruto sat up suddenly, making his head spin.

He longed for Sasuke in a way that frightened him, a tether that wound around his heart and bound the two of them together.

He stood up and looked out over the lake that sparkled like jewels under the sunshine. The ripples winked and blinked and blinded him.

Then he went home.

--

"Hello! How was your day?" Hinata greeted when he walked through the door.

"Good. It was good," he said as he set his sandals neatly on the front mat. When he turned back around, he saw the tufts of Kiba's hair peeking up over the sofa.

"Kiba's here," Hinata informed him unnecessarily.

"Hey, Kiba," Naruto shouted, unsure if he was heard over the hum of the television until Kiba raised his hand in acknowledgement.

"Did you do anything interesting?" The woman asked conversationally as she placed three plates on the kitchen table.

"I finished a book." Naruto took some glasses from the cupboard, filled them with water and set them on the table before sitting down.

"A book?" Hinata nudged, continuing to set the table with steaming bowls of food.

"Yup." Naruto grinned at her. "'The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja,'" he lied smoothly.

From the living room, Kiba snorted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "That stupid thing?"

Naruto spun around and yelled, "It's not stupid!" Then he turned back and saw Hinata looking amused. He blushed. "You know, I got my name from that book."

Hinata lowered her eyes coyly as she set down the last of the dishes. She brushed her fingers over the back of Naruto's hand. "Maybe someday we'll get to use a name from there too."

Naruto looked down at her tiny fingers over his. He tried to smile, but the smile wouldn't come. His stomach lurched uncomfortably. "Maybe."

Kiba put an abrupt stop to any marital bliss, reminding them of his presence. "Would you two stop it?" He wore a smile, but his voice was a little too harsh for joking. He walked over and ran his gaze over them shortly before pulling out a chair and sitting down. "Let's eat!"

Naruto set Hinata back to the ground and the two of them took their seats. They all smiled and if a couple of those grins his become a little strained, none of them mentioned it.

--

He was panting hard and sweating profusely and his muscles ached, but he kept at it. Naruto had gone back to his old routine from long ago, doing sit-ups, push-ups, running, chakra training, and sparring with shadow clones instead of friends because he didn't want anyone to know just how far he'd fallen.

It was harder work than it should've been but luckily he had his inherent good constitution and the demon's abilities, so it hadn't taken as long as it would have for a normal person to regain his fighting form.

He spun around; leveling a kick at eye level that he imagined would wipe the condescending smirk right off Sasuke's face. Sasuke was thinner and moved with more elegance than the Naruto clone did, but Naruto's clones were like him and he was not Sasuke.

Naruto could almost feel his muscles tone and his old power return as he stood there.

The next time he saw Sasuke, he was sure to win.

He laughed out loud, the pleasant thoughts spilling over in his mind and dispatched his clone with a flick of his hand.

Then he picked up a towel, wiped the sweat off, and changed his shirt. Taking his bag of dirty clothes and supplies in hand, he walked off the training grounds and headed to the market for some much-needed refreshment.

In the store, he was carefully scrutinizing the wide array of sports drinks when his deep thought processes were interrupted.

"Hey, Naruto! Long time, no see!"

Naruto turned from the refrigerated drink section to find Chouji there with a basket in one hand and the newest addition to the Akimichi clan in the other. Naruto straightened and regarded the round little bundle as he greeted her father.

The little girl regarded him right back.

"What have you been doing?' Chouji asked.

"Training," the blonde answered.

"Really?"

But Naruto didn't care about training just at this moment; he was staring at the child, thinking she was just adorable. He said as much.

Chouji readjusted his hold and beamed with pleasure. "This is Akiko," he said, referring to the round pink face. "Akiko, this is your Uncle Naruto."

Naruto's eyes flicked with surprise to Chouji, but then he just gave the girl a trembling smile, not knowing what to say other than a soft, "Hello."

Akiko squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in her father's chest. Chouji looked between the two of them, proud papa expression solidly on his face. "You want to hold her?"

Naruto's eyes blinked then went absurdly wide as he wobbled his head frantically in a manner that was half "yes" and half "no".

The round ninja just laughed, set his basket down, and unceremoniously put the child into Naruto's hands. Carefully, Naruto took her.

She immediately screeched as though she was about to be axe-murdered.

Flummoxed, Naruto stammered and tried to hand the baby back, but Chouji kept his hands firmly out of bounds. "Don't worry," he said convivially. "She'll calm down."

Naruto's face stated quite clearly how much he doubted this, but after a minute of nervous bobbing, cooing and rocking, Chouji's words rang true. Akiko worked herself down to a sniffle and turned her red-rimmed, deep brown eyes up to her uncle.

She considered him critically with pouty lips and tear-stained cheeks, flushed even pinker than normal.

"She's a good girl," Chouji whispered tenderly and brushed his hand over the back of her head. Naruto's hand followed soon after. Her hair was soft like feather down and she had that baby scent of powder and sour milk. She was tiny, just barely fitting into the crook of his arm, yet she had weight to her, the weight of the world. Her big brown eyes now held more curiosity than anything else as she lifted a hand to Naruto's face. He stuck out a finger and she grasped it, her chubby little hand barely making it around. He wiggled his finger and little Akiko giggled like mad, as though it was the best thing in the world.

Chouji smiled. "See? She likes you."

Naruto nodded, bit the inside of his lip, and fought back tears.

--

Hinata was sitting quietly on the couch watching television, the soft feminine curves of her body visible beneath her thin summer nightgown. Naruto saw her from the bedroom door. Slowly, he walked up and stood in front of her, blocking her view of the screen. Hinata's face tilted up to him and she was about to smile, but it stopped midway.

The television flashed its lights behind Naruto, casting his body in shadow as he leaned down to cup Hinata's cheek and kiss her. Gently, he pushed her prone onto the couch, covering her body with his. The television flickered images at the side of his eye, but the noises were only static. He slowly pushed her gown up over her hips, her underwear down to her knees. He nuzzled his face between her legs, stroking her with his tongue until she was ready. When he entered her, it was as slow and careful as the first time and by the time he'd finished, she had come so hard she'd passed out. When she blinked her eyes open, he was looking down on her still, his eyes almost black in the low light. She smiled at him with that sweet secret smile that was his alone. "I love you," she said.

Naruto swallowed thickly. "You too," he repeated hoarsely, barely a whisper.

Hinata ran her hands down his chest, her face filled with trust and devotion.

And Naruto closed his eyes, feeling his heart tied up by a thousand strings being pulled in a thousand different directions.

--

Hebiaya had not been pleased at being turned away a second time. He left in a haughty serpentine huff to deliver the unfortunate message that once again Naruto had refused the summons.

Naruto dragged his hand through his hair, pulled at the roots, and emitted a low growl.

He wanted to scream.

He paced a couple times around the room, then went to the corner and quietly pried up the loose floorboard where his secret treasure lay hidden. Alone in the darkness, he sat on the floor and ran his fingers along the raised pattern pages of the book.

He lifted his head and looked at nothing, tracing his fingers over the little bumps and pretending he could read them.

--

The house was empty when he returned, but it was early afternoon and Hinata often wasn't home at this time of day.

There was a neatly folded note sitting on the floor right past the doorway as if hastily slipped beneath the crack.

He picked it up, expecting a letter from his wife about her whereabouts and when he could expect her home.

He unfolded the paper.

It wasn't from Hinata.

He barely paused.

He didn't bother to clean up. He didn't bother to pack. He simply shoved the letter inside a pocket and only at the last minute remembered to leave a note so Hinata wouldn't worry.

He was out the door in moments.

The note he'd received had been written in a scratchy, tenuous scrawl that yet held within it the memory of precision and grace.

It contained one word.

"Come".


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 18/26

* * *

Chapter 18

Sasuke was sitting on the rail of his porch, facing out over the field and the cool breeze that blew over it. Beside him Na-chan lay quietly curled up and unconcerned. Distractedly, Sasuke scratched the cat between the ears, hearing the gentle rumble of pleasure surface from the cat's belly.

He was tired. There were circles under his eyes and thinness that hadn't been there before. His hair hung limp, greasy from days of inattention. But Na-chan didn't mind.

It was strange, Sasuke thought in the moments he spared to think, for a cat of all fastidious things, not to mind.

He had lost count of the days long ago and now only waited. Hebiaya had refused to return.

He'd had no other option.

The wind ruffled his hair.

And he waited.

"Isn't it dangerous to just sit out there like that?"

It was that creak on the stairs that told him the voice was real and not just a product of his wandering mind.

He dropped down from the railing and took a step toward the end of the porch, toward the voice.

Na-chan looked up briefly at the disturbance, flicked his ears, dropped to the ground, and scampered off into the grass, completely gone from sight.

As he moved forward, Sasuke could feel the presence in the air, smell him, practically taste him.

Naruto.

Close now, Sasuke reached out, took hold of Naruto's neck and embedded his nails deep into that familiar skin. He glared intently, the line above his nose deep as his eyebrows pulled tight together.

Naruto's shoulders flinched from the pain in his neck. "Sasuke?" He asked warily.

The grim expression didn't change as Sasuke ducked his head, effectively hiding his face with a dark curtain of hair.

"Sasuke?" Naruto repeated, slightly alarmed now.

Sasuke didn't respond. He clamped his fingers tight into Naruto's shoulders and inhaled sharply once, twice, then shoved Naruto off and turned swiftly away.

Regaining his balance, Naruto looked and saw the curve of the shoulder, contrary to Sasuke's normal upright posture. He noticed the delineation of spine and the fine bones stretching the skin of his hands, too pale, too thin.

"Oh," he breathed. Without thinking, Naruto dove forward and grabbed Sasuke around the middle before he had a chance to get away. But Sasuke didn't fight him; he stood still as a statue and Naruto might have thought he'd turned to stone if not for the rapid beat of a heart Naruto could feel echoing in his own chest.

"Sasuke," Naruto said and kissed the back of his neck, pungent with sweat and time.

He leaned in close so that their cheeks brushed when his chin rested on Sasuke's shoulder.

Naruto could feel Sasuke's jaw clench, the muscles working against Naruto's face.

"You didn't come," Sasuke said plainly, still not moving. His eyes stared blank and empty out over the meadow.

Naruto squeezed his own eyes shut. "I'm sorry." He folded his hands together and pressed on Sasuke's stomach, bringing him closer.

Sasuke pushed hard against the hands with the force of the air in his lungs.

"You didn't come," he repeated, his voice frighteningly level.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said again, tilting into Sasuke's hair, no longer smooth and clean like normal. Naruto's breath hitched. "I'm sorry." He leaned his head in deeper. "I'm sorry." He repeated the refrain over and over again, muffled into Sasuke's neck until they weren't words at all.

Still, Sasuke didn't move, only faced out over the open field, cold and still as ice.

Na-chan's patched tail flicked up over the grass and vanished.

"You didn't come." This time it was an accusation, each word pulling at the strings on Naruto's heart.

Naruto hugged him tight as he could, leaned in and kissed the spot just behind Sasuke's ear.

His breath rattled hollow in his throat. "I know."

--

For being a house way out on a forest hilltop, Sasuke's home was well stocked. Of course, Naruto had some suspicions on why that might be, but he didn't voice them.

Instead, he tied the apron around his waist and went to work.

Sasuke, now clean and fresh, stood at the doorway observing Naruto as though things had never been anything but normal.

Naruto was content to let him believe so.

He carefully chopped the mushrooms, meticulously searching for bad parts and discarding them, then moving on to the scallions.

"You cook?" Sasuke asked, somewhat doubtfully.

"Of course," Naruto replied, trying not to be offended. "I lived on my own for years. Like you."

Sasuke made a thoughtful noise in his throat. "I thought you only made instant stuff."

"Not all the time," Naruto scraped the cutting board clear. "Besides, I've grown up since then."

"Yes."

The blonde hair bristled slightly, but Sasuke's face showed neither teasing nor insult, so Naruto returned thoughtfully to his work.

A low, dry chuckle rumbled through the tiny kitchen and Naruto's hand stilled. It shook just the tiniest bit until curiosity finally got the better of him. "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said teasingly. "Just that you seem a little like a wife right now."

Naruto's breath seized in his lungs. "I am not," he protested. His heart hammered so hard he could feel it in his ears.

"Would you like that?"

"What?" The knife sliced easily through the hard carrot. Naruto worked determinedly at his chopping, concentrating on the task and the color of the vegetables. Sasuke moved closer.

"Playing house," Sasuke answered simply. "If I had a frilly apron for you, the picture would be complete."

"Stop it." Naruto dumped the knife and board into the sink with an especially loud clatter.

"If we played house you'd have to be the wife," Sasuke went on, "since you're wearing the apron."

"That's enough." Naruto spun around, bowl in hands, and gave Sasuke his best glower.

"What are you so upset about?" Sasuke paused, frowning, his eyes narrow and distant. "That wouldn't be so terrible, would it?" His voice was both bland and oddly curious.

Naruto's breath had grown ragged and his hands trembled as he tried to control himself. The thousand strings pulling on his heart snapped all at once. He set the bowl down with a thud. "I already have a wife."

Even the wind went silent.

It took another moment for Naruto to fully realize what he'd said. His eyes went wide and with his heart stuck in his throat, he turned to look at Sasuke. But Sasuke's face had gone entirely blank, erased of any and all emotion. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but there was nothing to say.

It was still and quiet as if the world itself had stopped.

Slowly, Sasuke stepped forward until he was within easy striking distance. When he reached out his hand, Naruto tried not to flinch. But Sasuke didn't attack him; he just grabbed the hair at the nape of Naruto's neck and pulled hard, forcing Naruto's head to arch painfully back. Naruto grit his teeth because no matter what pain he'd received in the past, this pull at his hair still hurt.

It was different.

It was personal.

Only then did Sasuke's face change. Not much, but just a little bit of anger tinted it, deep and black and simmering. The air whistled through his clenched teeth, whiter even than his pale skin. He took one last yank and suddenly let go so sharply that Naruto lost his balance and bumped lightly into the countertop.

Then Sasuke walked away.

--

Naruto was faced only with Sasuke's back by the time he finished dinner preparations.

It had been an uncomfortable, silent procedure, though it was a meal he'd prepared many times before.

He hesitated. The steam from the dish rose into his face, making his skin prickle. Naruto's cheeks had turned red with the mixed heat of the food and the pulsing of his blood.

He took a deep breath and carried the meal outside.

And still only Sasuke's back.

The man sat in the chair on the porch, facing out to the meadow. Insects buzzed and hummed in the hidden hollows of the tall grass, playing their summer love songs.

Naruto walked around to Sasuke's side, holding the dish almost reverently in his hands. Na-chan lay in Sasuke's lap, his furry body expanding and contracting with each sleepy breath. The ears perked up at Naruto's approach and the green eyes lazily opened. Then the cat hissed, showing every one of his perfectly white, perfectly sharp teeth. Sasuke stared resolutely with his sightless eyes out over the beautiful landscape he couldn't see.

Naruto swallowed loudly and cleared his throat.

Na-chan narrowed his eyes and emitted a low, purring growl.

Sasuke blinked slowly and nothing more.

"Dinner's ready," Naruto said lamely. He offered the dish. "Sasuke?" He prompted, pushing the dinner further into the man's face. This was the wrong move if the object had been to get Sasuke to eat.

However, if the object were to get any reaction whatsoever out of Sasuke, then Naruto had great success. With a sharp snap of his wrist, Sasuke flung the dish and its contents flying through the sky. The plate flipped over and over itself until it landed with a soft thud in the grass. The food –the thinly sliced mushrooms and carrots and onions with egg – rained down all around them, across the porch and into the grass.

Naruto watched it silently. He couldn't allow himself to be angry about it, neither the wasted food nor the work. The dish, the vegetables, and the anger were all rightfully Sasuke's. Naruto stared for a second, looking at the empty air for a moment, then turned back into the silent, confined house.

He wrapped up the remaining food and put it away.

From the doorway he could see Sasuke, still and stolid in the fading light and watched until the man melted almost completely into the darkness.

From somewhere near Naruto's feet, Na-chan reappeared, mewing impatiently. The man looked down at the little furry feet pawing demandingly at his sandal and the big round eyes staring straight through him. He bent down to pet the cat, but Na-chan hissed and backed away from his fingers and dashed into the kitchen.

Naruto sighed.

At least _someone_ was hungry.

--

They slept in the same bed but they may as well have been oceans apart. Naruto hadn't been sure that he should take his usual place on the left side and had scrutinized the couch for a while, but ultimately decided against it. Sasuke was already lying down, his back rigid as he faced the wall. It was all Naruto had seen all night.

He dropped onto the mattress and curled up on his side facing Sasuke, his hand trembling on the sheets but not reaching out

The bed frame creaked slightly under his weight, but Sasuke never shifted.

Na-chan let out a wide kitty yawn, exposing his insides all the way down to his tail as he took the couch in Naruto's stead. Then he purred low in his throat, squinted his little eyes, and observed them, the light shining in the green of his irises and flashing out like beacons.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 19/26

* * *

Chapter 19

Naruto woke up alone. The sheets beside him were crumpled and the pillow indented with recent habitation, but there was no warmth left to it. He gazed at the emptiness for a while then rolled himself to his feet. Na-chan let out a hiss as Naruto almost stepped on his tail, then the cat sauntered haughtily out onto the porch, certain in his superiority. Naruto followed him briefly, looking out the open door into the yard. Outside, Sasuke was moving methodically, a slow, elegant exercise with some part of him continually in motion.

For a while, Naruto watched the gentle flow of movements, fluid and smooth, then he ducked back inside to clean up and dress.

He was tentative when he joined Sasuke outside and stood apart in the grass, distant and watchful.

The exercise went on for about fifteen minutes more at which time Sasuke came to a graceful conclusion.

Then he heaved a deep sigh, turned to face Naruto's general direction and scowled to a place somewhere off the blonde's left shoulder.

"Sasuke?"

But Sasuke just walked by, up the stairs and into the house.

Naruto stared off into the trees for a while, letting all that had happened in the past few months sink in. The sun was bright up above the trees, glaring condemnation down on him until a cloud floated by and blocked it out. Naruto's hands slowly folded into fists. He scowled and decidedly entered the house.

Sasuke was standing by the sink drinking water and facing out the window.

Naruto took several strengthening breaths. "Look Sasuke," he began carefully. "What I said yesterday, I . . ." But he hadn't actually come with a plan and had nowhere to go from there.

Sasuke had no such problems. "Go home Naruto."

Naruto's heart skipped. "I don't want to go home."

The glass hit the countertop very, very softly. "Well, that would be a problem if you had any say in the matter."

"I'm not going," Naruto said back, obstinate and anxious.

Sasuke turned his head slightly to the side and pulled his eyebrows in tight.

Naruto stood for a second looking at the man's back, the only thing he'd seen since last night except for that brief scowl. His hands flexed at his sides.

It wasn't fair, not getting a chance.

Naruto took three long strides, grabbed Sasuke's shoulder, spun him around and slammed him hard against the wall.

He was breathing hard, struggling for something to say. Sasuke simply glared, his frame metal-straight and motionless. When Naruto leaned in closer, Sasuke whipped his hands up, throwing Naruto' s off.

"Why won't you listen to me," Naruto grumbled.

"You haven't said anything," Sasuke pointed out in a low voice.

"Because you'd never listen." Naruto dropped his gaze off to the side.

Sasuke shot his hands out and jabbed Naruto's chest. "You said enough."

Naruto stumbled back. " You don't understand. You can't just – "

"You. Are the one. Who is married." Sasuke punctuated the phrase like kunai to Naruto's gut.

"Stop it," Naruto rasped, sweat rolling down his face. "Just stop it."

"Why should I?" Sasuke asked, far too coolly. "You're the one who chose to keep inconvenient facts to yourself. When I thought we . . ." he stuttered uncharacteristically. He paused a moment to take a deep breath. "Just go home."

Naruto blinked at the reaction. "It's not that simple."

"I'm making it that simple."

"But you can't –" Naruto said desperately.

Sasuke's eyes tapered in. "So then you're not married?"

"No. Yes. Just stop it." Naruto was exasperated with no way to fix anything. "That's different."

"Different how?" Sasuke snapped. "Getting married was just a mistake? You were drugged or something, is that it?"

Naruto whined a bit pathetically. "No, it's just . . . that's separate." His eyes bored into Sasuke, urgent and longing, the irises roiling blue like the sea under a storm.

Sasuke thinned his lips until they were the same color as the rest of his face. "Separate," he mumbled to himself. Then to Naruto, frighteningly calm, "How long."

Naruto swallowed and backed up as though he was about to be thrashed. "Three years."

There was a pause then Sasuke's spine went so rigid he nearly vibrated. He stormed into the main room, almost tripping over Na-chan who was walking strange, pointless circles on the floor. The cat roared with displeasure, ran under the couch, and hid.

Without turning, Sasuke repeated his demand. "Get out."

"I'm not going." Naruto stepped closer and Sasuke's back twitched.

"Just what do you think we're doing here?" Sasuke's voice still had that unnerving evenness to it.

"I don't know."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he huffed loudly through his nose. "You don't know," he said. "You don't know." Instantly, he whirled on Naruto, gripped him around the throat and smashed him into the corner of the kitchen entrance. Naruto's head hit hard and he saw stars. When his vision cleared, he met Sasuke's eyes, darker than they had ever been.

"There are some things," Sasuke uttered, low and clear. "You need to understand."

He increased his hold on Naruto's neck until the blond thought the blackness would return, but before it did Sasuke bent forward and kissed him so hard Naruto tasted blood. It was thick and sweet and Naruto immediately opened up, opening everything, and shoved his tongue down Sasuke's throat. But when he reached his hands forward, Sasuke released Naruto's neck and snatched his hands, forcing them to the side. Never releasing the kiss, Sasuke swept his foot between Naruto's and the two of them tumbled to the floor in a heap. The breath was knocked out of Naruto's body as his head hit the corner of the side table and Sasuke took advantage of the moment to literally rip the T-shirt from him. The pants followed right after. Then he braced the blonde's wrists firmly over his head, pushing them close to the corner leg of the bed. Naruto blinked rapidly, sucking air into his lungs and frantically trying to get his bearings. He felt a sharp pull on his tendons when his legs were forced painfully apart as Sasuke knelt between them.

Naruto's vision finally cleared and he saw Sasuke sneering down at him, an expression entirely without mirth. He watched as, one handed, Sasuke unknotted the rope around his waist and removed it in one languid, sinister pull. The side of Sasuke's mouth drew back in a pale imitation of a smile. He drew the rope forward.

Naruto swallowed nervously.

It was a lot longer than he would have thought.

--

Night had fallen on them, dark and cool and quiet. At some point, the bed sheets had been pulled down and now folded in around them.

As Naruto lay in Sasuke's arms, he felt like he no longer knew anything. The strings on his heart had returned, pulling just as hard as before.

He played idly with the long black bangs that still framed Sasuke's face. It was all the same, the face and the hair, the paleness of skin, and yet it was altogether different.

They had drawn each other into territory so unknown that Naruto walked it as blind as Sasuke. But it was also a road they'd traveled too far to turn back now.

He stretched his arm across the smooth white chest and squeezed himself close.

He was blind and that was all right.

In this house, in this world, the rest of it melted away like snowfall under sunshine.

Naruto glanced at his wrist and rubbed at the tender red welts like the matching set on his knees, flexed his fingers, and looked up to the inscrutable face beside him.

Then he smiled softly to himself.

--

The next day, Naruto was sitting on the couch while Sasuke shuffled through his bookshelf, searching for something with dogged determination. Naruto just watched, appreciating the fact that in the end Sasuke had not kicked him out and knowing that he probably should have.

Na-chan, having finally emerged from the under-sofa safe haven, considered the blonde human interloper from the floor and flipped his tail back and forth like a metronome.

The two regarded each other, then without reason or warning Na-chan bounded into Naruto's lap, took a circle and lay down. Afraid to move, Naruto simply stared at the feline and kept his hands to himself.

Sasuke stood with his quarry in his hand and observed blandly, "I guess he's decided not to hate you."

Naruto glanced down at the furry ball and tilted his head. "Why can't you just say he likes me?"

Sasuke turned, examining the book binding with his fingers. "Because he doesn't _like_ anyone." He smoothed his fingers back up to the top of the book's spine. "He barely tolerates _me_ staying in what he considers to be _his _home."

Naruto considered the cat further then dared to pet it lightly on the head. Na-chan flicked his ears. Naruto looked back up as Sasuke walked to the other end of the couch. As he did, his eyes took in the small expanse of home. "Hey," Naruto ventured bravely. "How did you pay for this place again?"

Sasuke stopped, looked at Naruto with his unseeing eyes, pinched the corners in sharply, then heartlessly picked up Na-chan and dropped him to the floor.

The cat mewed in protest and flicked his tail irritably before sashaying off to a hidden corner of the room.

Sasuke sat down on the sofa and said, "Nothing that concerns you."

With a pout, Naruto gazed after the cat, once more gone from sight. "I don't want you getting in trouble."

Sasuke snorted. "I don't get into trouble." The eyebrows lifted slightly and he patted the couch cushion beside him.

Naruto hesitated a moment, then eased closer. Once within reach, Sasuke took Naruto's far shoulder and pulled him down so that he was on his side, his head resting in Sasuke's lap. Long fingers slid into blond spiky hair and Sasuke's thumb gently rubbed the base of Naruto's head. It was an avoidance tactic, Naruto understood that full well, but it was a pleasant one.

The rest of it didn't seem important anyway.

So Naruto settled in and closed his eyes and Sasuke ran his fingers through Naruto's hair and over the pages of the book.

Somewhere in the shadows where he couldn't be seen, Na-chan let out a deep and rumbling purr.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 20/26

* * *

Chapter 20

In the oppressive confines of the Hokage's office, Naruto watched with growing concern as Kakashi sat at his desk, drumming his fingers and staring with his one exposed eye. It may as well have been covered too, for as well as Naruto could read it.

Naruto's eyes kept flicking from Kakashi's face to his hand, over and over like a movie reel, waiting for the man to say something, but the Hokage remained unsettlingly silent.

With increasing impatience, Naruto began rocking on his heels, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible and failing spectacularly.

Kakashi sat up straight and neatly folded his hands on top of his desk.

Naruto took immediate notice, slapped his toes down, and firmed his lax stance.

The Hokage blinked and stared a bit longer until nervousness began to retake hold of Naruto. Then he grinned. "You seem to be doing much better these days," he observed.

Naruto blinked rapidly before regaining his composure. "Yeah, I guess so."

"For a while there I was wondering if you'd given up on your pledge to be Hokage." He leaned back importantly in his chair and Naruto followed the movement with placid blue eyes. "But now I see you're getting back into fighting form. And I've noticed all the studying you've been doing." His enigmatic grin widened. "Looks like Konohamaru still has a challenger in the race after all."

Naruto's eyebrows pushed up to his hairline and his nose crinkled up.

There was a long, and very pregnant, pause.

Not moving a muscle, Kakashi said out of the blue, "You've been taking a lot of missions lately."

Jerking back in surprise, Naruto lowered his eyebrows and answered, "Yeah." There was a wary leading pitch to his voice, as he assumed there was likely more to this line of questioning. He pressed down firmly on his back foot. "What's this about?"

Kakashi looked at his former student and remarked blandly, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Naruto stared with confused suspicion. "Like what?"

A small, almost condescending smile curved beneath the Hokage's mask. "That's what I'm asking."

Naruto didn't offer a reply.

"I see," the Hokage continued, "that during the past two months you've been gone for nearly four weeks."

Naruto blinked. He'd had no idea of anything like that. He moistened his lips. "So?"

Kakashi lifted his eyebrows with interest. "That's a lot of time."

When Naruto said nothing, Kakashi tilted his head in question. "It's just curious. Unless there's a reason?"

Doing his best to close his face down, Naruto said, "Money." When Kakashi didn't respond, Naruto shrugged. "Hinata suggested it."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully and stared as though he was sifting through Naruto's head.

Naruto didn't like it. His jaw hardened, the line of his mouth went iron hard. "Is that all?" He asked, barely remaining civil.

The older man considered him a while, then folded his hands. "That's it," he said and smiled genially as if he hadn't just been prying into personal affairs. "As long as you're sure." Naruto was silent. "All right. You're dismissed."

Naruto turned on his heel and left, not knowing whether he should be worried, angry, or guilt-ridden.

Or possibly all three.

--

He was disconcerted as he wandered, circling the town in an unending spiral downward.

He didn't head home.

Looking around, Konoha seemed the same to him as always. People bustled, children ran about and the streets filled with the quiet and loud of everyday life as though even war couldn't change it. Many of the people whom Naruto passed gave him honestly friendly smiles. Instantly, Naruto flashed a smile back, but the moment they turned away, the expression dropped.

Konohagakure was his home. It had always been his home, his land to love and protect. There had never been anything else. No hilltops and no secret places and no misty darkness that clouded his soul with indecision.

Only sun and Konoha.

He stopped.

If he continued down this street, took a left and then a right, he'd be at his house. His cute little house with the worn-out comfy furniture and his sweet, perfect wife. His perfect life that led to a storybook future.

He hesitated.

Then he continued forward.

--

She was waiting for him

She was more nicely attired than usual in a tight fitting dress of pink and gold and a large red flower pinned her hair up.

The house smelled clean and fresh.

Naruto smiled appreciatively.

"You look nice," he said, and meant it.

Shyly, Hinata tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I thought we could go out tonight," she suggested quietly. "You know, for a change."

Naruto didn't pause to consider. "I'll go get cleaned up."

He grinned amiably at her on his way to the bedroom.

--

The restaurant they went to was one of the finer ones in Konoha, though not so nice that the Uzumakis couldn't afford it. It had all the romantic trappings, mood lighting, classical music in the background, and flowers on every table.

Naruto vaguely recollected the place from their dating days, but only as a distant memory.

They ate quietly but comfortably, the small, prettily presented portions consumed slowly to make them last longer.

Hinata took a sip of her wine and eyed Naruto meaningfully, but not grasping the subtext, Naruto just grinned.

The woman carefully set her wineglass down and asked, "Do you remember this place?"

Naruto's chopsticks stopped halfway to his mouth. Carefully, he set them down and looked around, trying to jog his failing memory.

The flowers were yellow, but he thought they had once been white. Hinata had been with him, but in a different dress. He couldn't remember, but he thought it might have been black. He craned his head in nearly a full circle and stopped once he caught sight of a back table, nestled deep into a corner.

A very private corner.

"I proposed to you here," he said, not taking his eyes from the memory.

"Yes." Hinata smiled and reached across the table to take Naruto's hand in hers. He turned to her.

Her smile gradually became tight and a little forced.

Not knowing what else to do, he looked down at their mingles hands, the dark and the light, and thought about all that meant. Then he looked up and smiled and put as much affection and sympathy into as he truly felt.

--

The dress was silk and slid smoothly to the floor when Naruto unzipped the back.

She was beautiful as always, white against the white sheets, nearly as pale as -

Naruto kissed her.

She moaned softly and arched up to him.

He kissed down her neck, her breasts, her belly, and to the soft skin at the inside of her thigh. Her unique taste was familiar to him, sweet with not a hint of sharpness. He gently sucked the skin over her hip, the bone jutting up to meet him. She was beautiful and perfect and his. She was everything he had ever wanted. He squeezed his eyes shut to cut short the unwanted images that inundated his mind. They were of places and things and futures that he couldn't own.

He gasped, a sound close to strangling.

He kissed his way back up to her mouth. She laced her fingers into his hair, but he disentangled them and pressed them firmly to the mattress. He took a moment, breathing hard and gazing at her, all roundness and soft colorless eyes that looked straight back. She held within them a future he could see and understand. Slipping a hand beneath her, he nudged her onto her stomach and gripped her hips tight. Her back was smooth with a thin curved line running down the center, and Naruto took a long time before entering her. Hinata cried out quietly.

The woman's long, black hair mostly stayed in place with only a few strands escaping. Naruto furiously pushed them back up, holding the back of her head with one hand and her hip with the other.

His thrusts grew fevered and erratic and too hard and Naruto shut his eyes as he pressed his forehead into her back.

Hinata's voice, loud and soft and feminine, filled the empty room but Naruto heard nothing over the roaring in his ears.

--

In the hushed darkness of night, Hinata turned her head to her husband and lightly ran her fingertips over his cheek, clearing away the thin layer of sweat. The ceiling fan rocked and reeled precariously on its moorings, wrapping a thin tunnel of warm wind around them.

"I love you, Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly.

Naruto shifted slightly and pretended to be asleep.

--

Early morning three days later, Naruto had gone to the mission tent and took the first one out of town. Hinata looked at him hurt and worried and pursed her lips, but eventually nodded her head. One of the strings on Naruto's heart pulled taut and he suddenly hugged his wife so fiercely, he nearly cracked her bones.

He quickly turned his face so she wouldn't see the regret on it, nor the tiny mingling of relief.

Then he neatly packed his things and was through the Konoha gates before anyone else had noticed.

He'd stayed all of eight days.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 21/26

* * *

Chapter 21

The summer heat was kicking in with renewed force, making the air thick and heavy past when it should. The turning of the seasons was upon them, but the heat was hanging on with ardent tenacity, pushing the cooler weather later and later into the year.

Sasuke could feel the aberration all over his skin like an infection. It set his teeth on edge.

The assignment went well enough, smooth and without any mentionable hitch, a routine, exactly the same as he had done many times before. There was nothing particularly special or memorable about it.

But he'd heard the squelch of blood and flesh when his sword sliced through the man's body. He'd felt the shudder in movement the instant the blade hit the bone of the woman's vertebra. And he'd noticed the weight of their heads in the bag at his side.

None of these sensations were unfamiliar. They were white noise without purpose or significance.

Until now.

The leftover crust of blood dappled the edges of his fingers. He wanted to wash it off.

He still felt the weight of cut off humanity, though he'd dropped the heads off hours ago.

Perhaps all of this was why he didn't notice the danger until far past when he should have.

A prickle ran up his spine.

He blinked, though he had no vision to clear and turned his senses outward. Someone was following him. Someone was watching. It wasn't a signature with which he was familiar. But it was too controlled, too smart, and too heavy with death for an ordinary person.

No, having been on the other side of the equation enough times, he recognized the signs.

He was being hunted.

Sasuke frowned.

Then he continued walking, calmly as though nothing had changed. He circled one way and back and backtracked to a busier section of town.

The presence remained.

Sasuke slipped inside a bustling pub to lose himself amidst the crowd.

A couple of women attempted to flirt with him, but he brushed them off like annoying flies. They couldn't help him; they'd only get in the way.

Disappearing. That's what he did best and what he needed to do now. He finally managed to find the bathroom and ducked inside. After washing his hands free of the offensive crust, he splashed a little water on his face. He could tell by the heat and sound of the room that it was dark. In a place like this, of men and women, no one would have noticed him in the bathroom anyway. He combed his fingers quickly through his hair, letting it absorb any extra moisture. He took a few breaths and straightened.

Calmly, he exited the way he came. Once in the street, he maintained his leisurely stride, weaving his way deeper into the shuffling throng.

The menace was still there, but Sasuke could sense its confidence faltering. The street was packed and buzzing, which was exactly what Sasuke needed. He dropped his chakra as low as he could, centering it, pushing it down until it was almost indistinguishable from a lowly human with no ability at all. He did this in slowly progressive increments so that his chakra vanished as though gently carried away by the wind. He stooped his shoulders, drooped his head and made himself more level with the general populace.

Once he'd completely disappeared, the menace didn't at first notice. By the time it realized Sasuke wouldn't be resurfacing, it was too late.

Sasuke had already made his way to the gates of town, out into the forest and the wilderness beyond.

And once he was there, no one would find him.

--

Na-chan mewed an angry protest when Sasuke usurped his seat without warning on the couch. The cat hissed, baring a row of tiny fangs and dug its claws into the fabric of the cushions. Unimpressed, Sasuke pushed the feline off the furniture before any further damage was done. The cat landed softly, growled at its enemy and sauntered off with his tail in the air to stake his claim on the bed.

Sasuke stared at the cat and the cat stared back with an uncanny knowledge in its unearthly emerald eyes. Almost as though he could see that, Sasuke frowned.

Then he got to his feet and left.

--

Kirigakure had never exactly felt like home, but it was comfortable in its way, which his house at present was not.

He went for a drink to steady his head.

The establishment was mostly empty, but on his third glass, a boy took the seat next to him, sliding his stool objectionably close. He tried to entice Sasuke, to lure him away, but the assassin would have none of it.

It was stupid. Sasuke knew that the boy was exactly what he would normally need at times like this, something hard and quick to take off the edge.

Just not with him.

Not him.

With a curse and a sigh, Sasuke stood and left the boy there, and with him any promise of that sort of relief.

Instead, he walked out the door, down the street, turned a corner, and headed to Hiro-san.

--

Although there was a glass in front of him, Sasuke didn't drink. He could tell there was an assignment beneath it, but he refused to pick it up.

Sasuke screwed the glass down deep into the bar, hoping to shred the assignment to pieces and thus make it nonexistent. The edges of his mouth turned down tight.

"I quit."

Yoji kept his calm, not moving and not shifting his heavy gaze. "You have an assignment."

"I don't want it." Sasuke twisted the glass again.

"You try and get rid of that," Yoji said matter-of-factly, "And it'll just show up again."

Sasuke pursed his lips and held still.

Yoji took the glass, downed the contents, and slammed it back to the table. Then he refilled it and shoved it into Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke's fingers carefully closed around it. The glass nearly cracked under the force of his grip. "I don't like colleagues spying on me."

The bartender snorted derisively.

"The other day," Sasuke elaborated, trying and failing to hold in his irritation, "In Tea Country, one of _your_ friends was following me."

Yoji's hands dropped and pressed hard into the wooden shelf behind him. Sasuke heard the squeak.

"I haven't sent anyone." The bartender sounded as though he would murder the next person to cross his path.

Sasuke slackened his grasp on the glass. Yoji had no reason to lie about this. That was one good thing about him; if he were gong to kill you, he'd be upfront about it.

Sasuke lifted the glass and removed the paper, crumpled and partially ripped, but still decipherable. He recognized a note from Saitou when he felt it. "No," he said flatly. His eyebrows pulled together and he pressed the paper to the bar under his widely spread hand.

Yoji shifted his weight and the wood creaked again. "It's your choice."

Sasuke fingered the paper for a minute and shoved it into his pocket. It _was _his choice, whatever Yoji thought. Sasuke knew how to vanish into thin air, as present yet invisible as water vapor.

He just couldn't do that anymore.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 22/26

* * *

Chapter 22

Naruto was still wondering how he'd gotten here as he stood on the porch and looked out over the meadow. He felt happily relaxed and acutely uneasy at the same time. Na-chan mewled and purred and continually rubbed over Naruto's legs, winding in between and around over and over like a mobius strip. The moment Naruto leaned down to pet him however, the cat allowed it for only a moment before rearing back to monitor him from a safe distance.

Naruto gave up trying to make friends.

They'd been alone in the house for a little over two days.

However it didn't seem strange. There was a sense of belonging here that existed even with an uncooperative cat. When he'd arrived, the place had been neat and tidy and empty but for food and water for Na-chan. The sheets on the bed had been freshly laundered, pulled taut until a coin could bounce off them, yet they still smelled distinctly of Sasuke.

Naruto had been forced into town that first day to buy provisions, since the kitchen had been bare. He hoped it wasn't a bad sign.

He tried to judge how long Sasuke planned to be away according to how much food Na-chan had left. He was banking on the idea that surely Sasuke would not let the cat starve.

Surely.

Naruto bought some cat food just in case.

The summer was finally waning, just hitting that time when the day was warm and heavy with un-fallen rain and the night began to get just that nip of cold. The cicadas still hummed in the trees though, the last desperate ones looking for mates, adding a soundtrack to Naruto's contemplation.

"What are you doing here?"

All that time waiting and when Sasuke finally showed, Naruto was daydreaming. He looked over to see him, all in shadow with the brightness of sky behind him. All thoughts of uneasiness vanished from him with Sasuke's arrival.

"I can't come here?" Naruto asked.

In answer, Sasuke hefted one of the bags in his hand, the handles stretching with the weight. "Want some?"

A grin split Naruto's face as he bounded down the stairs. "Watermelon?"

Sasuke nodded.

Naruto took the melon in his hands, still in the bag held by Sasuke and felt the weight of it, heavy with juice. "You got a whole watermelon just for yourself?"

"You're here, aren't you?" Sasuke intoned flatly.

At this, Naruto raised a skeptical eyebrow. But a moment later his smile was back as he suggested happily, "Hey! We should smash it open with a bat!"

The melon jerked free of Naruto's hands as Sasuke held it well out of the blonde's reach. "We will cut it properly like normal people."

Naruto pouted, but Sasuke only carried his bundles up the stairs, Na-chan mewing happily and following him into the house. Naruto stayed in the grass and watched them.

"Get inside!" Sasuke yelled, his voice sounding more distant than could be explained by space. "And stop making that face!"

Chagrined, Naruto pulled his tongue back into his mouth.

--

Naruto sat at the table, swinging his legs excitedly like a kid. At the counter, Sasuke's movements were unhurried and methodical and for a while Naruto wondered if maybe he had a ruler hidden somewhere and was measuring each piece to exact specifications.

It was taking _that_ _long_.

"C'mon," Naruto whined. "I want watermelon!"

Unaffected, Sasuke's hand continued its slowness, up and down and graceful in carefully ordered movements.

Naruto banged his heels on the legs of the chair and dropped his head to the table in dismay.

A curved rind of watermelon cut into the shape of a flower was set down in front of him. Naruto smiled and immediately grasped the fruit in his two hands. He looked at it and ducked his head as if he was about to do something bad.

"Awfully girly for such a bastard." He snickered.

Not amused, but not angered either, Sasuke said, "Just shove it in your face."

Naruto did.

And it was very sweet.

--

Naruto licked his fingers clean of juice after having polished off the better half of the watermelon, while Sasuke had eaten only one slice and been content.

They were sitting cross-legged on the porch, silent in the dying warmth of day. Na-chan purred in Sasuke's lap, biscuit-making his pants as Sasuke ran his hand slowly down the feline's back.

Naruto looked at the two, shook his head, and popped his last finger clear of his mouth. He sat back against the house and sighed.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but all of a sudden Sasuke bolted upright and disrupted Na-chan, dropping him to the floor with an offended mew.

Sasuke faced Naruto, though his blind eyes craned to the side as if he saw something no one else could. "Come with me."

He held out his hand.

After scarcely a second and without a word, Naruto took the offer and stood.

--

Sasuke raced through the forest, leaping effortlessly from branch to branch inhumanly fast, but this time Naruto was hot on his heels.

The blonde felt like crowing.

He was back to his top form. And it felt so good, great, wonderful, that he wouldn't mind it going on forever. But then Sasuke stopped and dropped suddenly out of sight. It was almost as an afterthought that Naruto followed.

"Next time, flip on your turn signal or something, would you?" Naruto complained when he met up with the other man.

Sasuke snorted, a wordless comment and reached wildly over. Naruto laughed; it was rare that Sasuke missed what he was aiming for and Naruto found it vastly entertaining. Feeling generous, he grasped Sasuke's hand in an attempt to guide him to whatever it was he sought. But to his great surprise, apparently what Sasuke sought was Naruto's hand because once he had hold of it, he simply held on tight.

Naruto's heart knocked violently against his ribcage.

Then Sasuke tuned to him and gave Naruto that smirk that curled just a little bit, that smile that never quite completed its journey.

"Hey," Naruto protested half-heartedly, still off-balance from the warmth of Sasuke's presence. "What are we doing -?" He was about to say "here", when the answer became obvious.

With the slightest twist of his head to the right, Naruto saw it: a lake shining like stars in the low light, tinted with the fading colors of the sky. There were large rocks scattered throughout like little islands and to one side was a small trickling waterfall, emptying from a stream above.

For a moment, Naruto stood still and simply gazed out at this unexpected and secret place.

He swallowed and looked at Sasuke but Sasuke was gazing out over the water in that strange way of his as if he could see it in a way no one else could.

Maybe he did.

Naruto pouted when his hand was let go. Then Sasuke grabbed the hem of his own shirt and pulled it over his head, dispatching it somewhere to the side. Sasuke's skin, normally white, glowed pink in the reflection of the setting sun. In a moment, Sasuke had divested himself of his shoes and pants as well so that he stood in nothing but his boxers. Naruto stared as if he'd never really seen him before, which in a way he hadn't. In all the times Sasuke had stood before him in less, Naruto had been a bit . . . preoccupied.

There were scars scattered all over Sasuke's body. Most were only small nicks or scratches, the sort all ninjas bore. However, there was one particularly nasty scar, a large mark in the center of his belly that spread out like an anemone.

Naruto blinked to have not truly noticed it before. He briefly wondered how Sasuke had gotten it and how he'd survived it, but then decided this was irrelevant. It was a memento form a time before them and Naruto could barely remember there being a time like that.

Besides, the flaw to Sasuke's perfection was perfect in his own way and served to make Sasuke more attractive, not less.

This was a state of affairs Naruto deemed to be entirely unfair.

Sasuke lifted an elegant eyebrow as Naruto did nothing. Then with a snort, he walked forward and began to undress the clueless idiot.

Naruto let him.

By the time he stepped cautiously out of his pants, Naruto's eyes were shut tight and he was holding his breath. Sasuke ran his hands carefully over Naruto's chest and down to the waistband of his boxers. He traced the edge with the warm tip of a finger, then dipped it just inside. Naruto's stomach fluttered as though they'd never done this before.

Then Sasuke pushed Naruto abruptly backwards.

Naruto hit the water hard, chiefly because he hadn't been expecting it. Luckily they were only at the rim of the lake and the water was shallow and not too cold.

So Naruto didn't drown.

He angrily wiped some of the splashed water from his eyes. "What was that for?!"

Sasuke laughed, or what could pass as a laugh in Sasuke's unpracticed voice.

Naruto glared.

Then, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Sasuke strode cautiously into the water. He ventured far to the center then disappeared, staying under for a scary amount of time. Just as Naruto was ready to panic, he resurfaced.

The water rippled out from him in wobbly concentric circles as Sasuke slowly slicked the hair from his face. Naruto stared. The sun was behind him, making Sasuke's features indistinguishable but for the gold glow that traced the silhouette of his body. A droplet of water slid down his nose and sparkled like a diamond when it fell off into the water.

Naruto's throat went dry.

"Don't you know how to swim?"

It took a second for Naruto to register that he was being addressed. "Huh?"

"Idiot," Sasuke reprimanded. "I asked if you knew how to swim."

Immediately, Naruto frowned. "You know I do."

"Then what are you doing over there?" Sasuke jerked his chin mockingly and swam farther away with long, sensual, backstrokes.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. Well, actually he did, but that wasn't really the point. The point was: the water was warm, the night clear, and he was with Sasuke.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy.

--

For all that they were almost twenty-four years old, they acted like children, splashing and dunking each other beneath the water. Naruto did, anyway.

That's not to say that that Sasuke was exactly lax in exacting retaliation, however.

Once they had nearly worn themselves out, Naruto bobbed in the waves and was smiling so much it actually hurt. The blonde propelled himself through the water slowly and, hearing the approaching sound, Sasuke reached out his hands and took Naruto smoothly into his arms. They did not kiss. Naruto just stared at the black hair sticking messily to Sasuke's temples and smiled. Sasuke lifted a hand and traced the lines of Naruto's face, stopping at his mouth. Naruto kissed the fingertips.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Sasuke informed him abruptly.

Naruto flinched. "So soon? What? Why? You just got here."

"You're the one who just showed up without asking," Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto pouted.

Snorting softly, Sasuke leaned forward and kissed the corner of Naruto's lips. "Not that I'm complaining."

Naruto put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and tapped their foreheads together. They stayed like that for a few minutes, their breathing slow and even.

Then Naruto asked, "How long are you going to be gone?'

Sasuke turned his head a little. "Hm?"

Naruto was blushing furiously. "It's a simple question."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and reflected on it. "A day," he said after a while.

Naruto stuttered. "Well then, before you go – " He slid a nervous finger over the smooth curve of Sasuke's collarbone and traced a line down the center of his chest.

There was a brief pause then Sasuke let out an inelegant snort and smirked. The next thing Naruto knew, Sasuke had tossed both their shorts toward the shoreline and had carefully guided Naruto's hand beneath the water.

The blonde blinked and asked, "Uh?"

"This _is_ what you were going for?" Sasuke whispered as he leaned down and nipped the soft skin behind Naruto's ear.

Naruto groaned. "Yeah." He experimentally shifted his fingers. "I didn't know if I had to ask."

"Ask?" Sasuke wrapped his long legs around Naruto's waist, hooking them at the ankles.

Naruto swallowed, put his hand under Sasuke's thigh to adjust their position. "You are very . . controlling."

Sasuke pulled his tongue languidly over the tanned throat and sucked on Naruto's earlobe. "Make me lose control then," he whispered.

Naruto whimpered and licked his lips. "Just wait. I'll have you screaming soon enough."

He moved his finger again.

Then Sasuke clenched his thighs and made that little noise deep in the back of his throat and Naruto decided that talking right now was perhaps not strictly necessary.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 23/26

* * *

Chapter 23

Steel cracked against steel, the metal ringing against the breath of their exertions. The force of the blow rippled all the way down Sasuke's arm and straight into his shoulder.

They'd already been at it for a while.

The head hanging at his hip was a noticeable burden and Sasuke was half-tempted to untie the thing and discard it by the wayside. But without the head there was no payment and with no payment, the whole endeavor was pointless.

His opponent spun, extracted a short knife from his belt and tried jabbing it up near the hilt of Sasuke's sword. Sasuke was not about to give him the chance to twist the blade free of his grip. He wouldn't be left helpless if that happened, but he preferred his katana in his hand, especially when fighting another expert swordsman. As Sasuke parried, the man jabbed the knife towards Sasuke's thigh instead, aiming for the femoral artery. Sasuke felt the twist of body as the man swung his sword overhead as he tried to catch him in the shoulder as well. The blind man ducked low and to the right, dodging the knife, though the sword blade sliced cleanly through his bicep. It was deeper than Sasuke would have liked, but he had slightly misjudged the angle. He wasn't worried though; this is a cut that would heal, and in his right arm, it wouldn't hinder him much.

Speed had always been Sasuke's greatest ally.

He took a couple quick steps back and crashed amateurishly into a large ornate chair, tumbling both of them to the ground. Somehow, with the devil's own luck on his side, the chair tipped in front of him and blocked the thrust that had been squarely aimed for Sasuke's chest.

His opponent grunted a wordless curse and Sasuke's assessment was confirmed: a man. He'd seemed too bulky to be a woman, though most assassins of either gender tender toward the slim side. A slender shape was better suited to a life of hiding and slipping in and out of small spaces invisibly.

Yet this man was obviously a professional. And he was huge. He was taking up so much space in the small room that Sasuke was having a difficult time gauging everything else in relation to him.

While the man struggled with the chair, a battle which took only a few seconds as he simply smashed the furniture apart with his great fists, Sasuke pulled a kunai from his shin wrap and stabbed straight through the man's foot and down into the floor. The man yowled with more rage than pain and drove his sword right for Sasuke's neck. Sasuke heard the whistle, felt the punch of air and dodged left. He got another slice, this time in his throat dangerously close to the jugular, and quickly grabbed the sword now stuck into the wall with his throbbing right hand. The chidori crackled up the blade and directly into the man's body.

The stink of singed hair and cooked flesh filled the room. Sasuke heard the chirping crackle of the jutsu, but the man himself made no distinguishable noise.

Sasuke let go and immediately rolled away, climbing to his feet and re-gripping his sword. He began the seals to a fire jutsu, but his enemy was on him in moments.

Before the fire fully had a chance to form, the burly man fit his meaty hand around Sasuke's skull and threw him like a rag doll. Sasuke hit the wall with enough force to shatter the framework. The head on his belt hit a moment later. The failed remnants of the jutsu ricocheted back down Sasuke's throat, almost suffocating him.

Sasuke crumpled to the floor and luckily for him, the roof and walls crumbled with him. Everything, assassins and all, were instantly buried in the rubble. After what felt like hours, Sasuke laboriously fought his way to the top of the broken pile, heaving and straining and gathering dirt into his wounds.

Somewhere along the way he'd lost the head. He swore, not bothering at concealment anymore. The building collapse would have been heard for blocks, so caution at this point was moot.

He was weakened. His chakra had been almost completely drained by the fight and any remaining strength he'd had was used up in the struggle out of the wreckage. He'd lost a lot of blood, a lot more than he had in any single fight in years, and his head began to throb.

A pile of debris behind him shifted.

There wasn't much time and he'd leave too much of a trail if he just left now. He'd need something big to slow the man down.

So he used the last dregs of his chakra to set the building on fire. In the dry heat, it would spread rapidly and ought to buy just enough time for him to disappear in the chaos.

With the crackle of it at his back, Sasuke set out to do his disappearing act.

--

There was no question the man had been after _him_ and not the quarry. The only head the rival assassin had cared about was Sasuke's.

It had to be the man from before.

Sasuke ripped the sleeves from his shirt to use as makeshift bandages. It was hardly ideal but it would have to suffice and he thought the weather was warm enough that the lack of proper attire wouldn't kill him.

But the sun was setting all the same and he still needed shelter.

He was moving slower than he'd like, but he was also more injured than he'd first suspected. In the initial adrenaline rush and need for freedom, he hadn't been able to accurately assess the damage. Besides the cut to his arm and neck, he had several cracked ribs, a twisted ankle, a chair splinter the size of Japan wedged in his left knee joint, a myriad of other bruises, and a headache strong enough to take down an elephant. He was hoping it wasn't a concussion.

He had to get back.

But then unconsciousness took him like a shot and he dropped suddenly into a pile of leaves, falling instantaneously into a fitful sleep.

--

He woke much later than he would have liked, so the day was already well on its way to its midpoint.

He was lucky to be awake at all.

His dreams had been troubled, illogical and hazy, and he knew from experience this wasn't a good sign.

An unclear mind usually meant a troubled body.

He'd have to make it back by today.

The brush crumpled noisily beneath his sandals and he made an effort to lighten his step. In his condition he couldn't take to the trees. He was more likely to fall than to make the journey faster.

He hated weakness.

Concentrating on his steps helped to settle his mind.

He needed to find out who'd hired that man; needed to cut the problem off at the source.

He took a deep breath.

But his head hurt too much to think and there was nothing he could do about it now anyway.

He had more pressing concerns.

The coolness of encroaching evening entered his bones.

He wondered if Naruto was still at home.

--

On the third day after the battle, Sasuke felt the familiar incline of earth under his feet. Despite his weariness and pain, he lengthened his stride to improve his time.

The heat of the sun in the open meadow hit him like a slap and he knew he was almost there. He let out a sigh.

Keeping his head high and his back straight though his gait was lopsided, he put on his apathetic mask. He couldn't have anyone thinking he was weak, especially Naruto. If he was still here.

There was a distant sound of footsteps in the grass. After a few paces, they quickened into a run. Sasuke continued forward. He could hear Naruto's breath if not his voice as he approached. He could smell his distinctive smell, the scent of Naruto, coming on him fast.

And when Naruto took him firmly in his arms, holding him up with his presence alone, Sasuke felt like he was falling.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 24/26

* * *

Chapter 24

Naruto's insides began to churn with the days of unexpected waiting. On that last day, Sasuke had shown him the childhood they'd never had and the future they couldn't.

It had struck Naruto with an almost longing of nostalgia, but of things that never were.

During their three days together, Na-chan had grown accustomed to Naruto's presence, even seeking out his company on occasion.

But none of this helped allay Naruto's nervousness. The cocoons in his stomach burst into butterflies and fluttered frantically, searching for a way out.

Sasuke had said it would take no more than a day and already it had been three.

Naruto had done what he could to occupy himself, but there was little help for it. He stayed close to the house. When Sasuke returned, he wanted to be there.

So now Naruto sat out on the porch, Na-chan curled up beside him, touching the human with the very tip of his tail, when in the deep fading light of day, Naruto thought he saw something.

It was small and blurred, but Naruto would recognize him anywhere.

He slowly made his way toward Sasuke, smiling and taking his time because Sasuke never liked a fuss. But as he got closer, he noticed something wrong. He picked up his pace a little and when he was near enough to smell the blood with his preternatural demon fox senses, he ran.

Naruto threw his arms around him and though the bastard would deny it later, the moment Naruto touched him, Sasuke's knees buckled.

--

The man was compliant in a way that Naruto both did and did not like. There was pain in the line of Sasuke's jaw when Naruto cleaned the wounds, scrubbing deep with soap and alcohol. By the time he was done, they were bleeding fresh again but at least the blood ran red and clear.

It was a long operation and Naruto performed it with shaking hands and water standing in his eyes, but he did it. He had wrapped so much of Sasuke – neck, arm, knee, feet, ribcage – that he looked more a mummy than man when it was done.

As Naruto finished clipping off the last of the linen, he crouched down between Sasuke's knees. He looked up anxiously at the pale man sitting on the bed in nothing but his boxers and bandages.

The deep black eyes, for all their blindness, revealed much.

Sasuke took a breath that turned into a cough. Naruto rested his hands on Sasuke's thighs, wanting to squeeze them in reassurance and knowing he couldn't, but Sasuke waved the concern off in any case.

Instead, the blind man observed blandly, "You stayed."

Naruto ended up gripping Sasuke's thighs anyway, and said, "You said I could. Did you not want me to?"

There were creases now in Sasuke's forehead. He reached out a trembling hand, from the injuries surely, and barely touched the side of Naruto's face. "It's all right."

His tone was harsh but his touch was gentle. And though only the tips of his fingers remained exposed, they burned Naruto's cheek with the heat of impending infection and the fire that is Uchiha. It was a light touch, like something airy and temporary and only half-real.

Naruto stared at him, blinked rapidly, and squeezed his hands tighter. His teeth hurt from clenching.

"I love you," he blurted.

Then his eyes went comically wide and under normal circumstances he might have covered his gaffe with some sort of pathetic joke. But he didn't know he was going to say anything, hadn't known it would be _that,_ didn't even know it was true until it was out, and now he could say nothing more.

He swallowed and watched Sasuke intently. A deep line cut into the space above the bridge of the blind man's nose, but Sasuke didn't try to look at him, just kept staring at a space somewhere above Naruto's head. Then his hand skimmed down Naruto's jaw, his neck, his fingertips barely grazing skin and shaking slightly as they moved down. He finally stopped at the center of Naruto's chest and pressed his palm flat. His eyebrows went up, still tight with consternation but something less defined too.

Naruto sucked in his breath and took hold of Sasuke's wrist.

The ends of Sasuke's fingers relaxed in as he let out a breath. Gradually, he pulled his hand away and Naruto reluctantly let go.

"I'm tired," Sasuke said, and sounded it. He clumsily pushed himself back to the head of the bed. Lying down on his side, he beckoned exhaustedly to Naruto. Naruto climbed up the bedspread and crawled over to the sick man, who maneuvered him until his back lined up perfectly with Sasuke's chest. An arm wrapped lazily around Naruto's waist. Threading their fingers together, Naruto felt the heat of Sasuke's breath as the man nestled close. There was only a moment for him to enjoy an intimacy to which he had become far too accustomed.

Then the fever sickness set in.

--

Naruto didn't waste much time.

He cursed himself for falling asleep in Sasuke's embrace, though it had been nice up until the moment he was wakened by a third degree burn courtesy of Sasuke's skin.

He quickly made a clone and sent it off to find a doctor in a small town nearby, and not Kirigakure because that was too risky. He hoped for a medic-nin, but he wasn't holding his breath. Anyone would be an improvement.

He would not leave Sasuke's side.

The clone returned dragging a sober faced man who was wheezing and irritable and complaining about being plucked from his office and kidnapped to who-knows-where for who-knows-what purpose. Naruto could understand his anger.

But he didn't care about it.

Once the doctor saw the state the patient was in, he dismissed his own discomfort and quickly went to work. He kept shaking his head and testing each bandage in turn, all to Naruto's growing concern.

Finally the man straightened and meticulously sorted through his equipment. He faced Naruto sternly.

"You cleaned the wounds and applied the bandages?" The man asked.

Naruto nodded his head anxiously. "Yes?"

"Ah, not bad," the doctor begrudgingly acknowledged. "But you missed one."

Naruto blanched. Sparing no pleasantries, the doctor motioned for him to help. The older man pulled out a scalpel and set sternly to his task. Silently and without question, Naruto followed instructions and soon a large splinter, along with a burst of an awful smelling liquid, emerged from Sasuke's knee.

"Infection," the doctor stated simply.

Naruto looked worriedly on as the man cleaned and re-bandaged the wound. "He'll be O.K.?" His voice came reluctantly.

The older man set his disapproving eyes on the ninja. "He _should_ be in the hospital."

"No," Naruto answered quickly.

The man raised an eyebrow. He reexamined Sasuke, but with a different air this time, then saw as Naruto firmly adjusted his hitae-ate. "Right," the man droned and looked back to Sasuke. "If you refuse to take him to a hospital, there's not much more I can do. It'll be up to you."

Naruto tipped up onto his toes and back again nervously. "So he'll be all right."

"He should be," the man said ambiguously. Naruto felt his insides fall to the floor and catapult back up again. "I've removed the main source of infection. After that, he just needs to be watched." He snapped his bag shut.

"You're not staying?" Naruto asked with a slight edge of panic.

"I have other patients to attend to." The man said sharply. He handed Naruto a medicine bottle. "Listen very carefully; I'll tell you what you need to do."

Naruto stood there clutching the tiny bottle in his hands, listening intently as the doctor relayed a long series of instructions.

He really wished he had a pen and paper.

Then the man left, leaving Naruto partly numb and completely overwhelmed.

The blond turned to Sasuke, red and sweating on the bed, his face screwed up with pain or nightmares, perhaps the same thing. Naruto turned his gaze to the small container in his hand, repeating to himself all the things the man had told him. He looked to Na-chan who mewed in what Naruto chose to think was a sympathetic tone as the cat curled into Sasuke's stomach. Then he turned to his clone and did something he never intended.

He ordered it to go to Hinata and tell her something, anything, just as long as it wasn't the truth.

After the clone departed, Naruto sat on the edge of the bed near Sasuke, brushed a few dark locks from his face, and nearly burned himself with the touch of fever.

--

It was another few days before Sasuke awoke, which was pretty good all things considered.

In a sudden, he sat up straight and turned his attention blearily around the room. His eyes remained closed, which while strange for him, wouldn't affect his assessment.

"Good morning," Naruto said. Sasuke's head whipped in the direction of the sound. The chair made a scraping noise as Naruto stood and walked over to him.

"What time is it?" Sasuke asked.

"2:34 p.m. on the twenty-fifth," Naruto answered gently. He touched the tips of his fingers to Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke flinched back and glared.

Naruto smiled and offered up a steaming bowl of soup. "You should eat something."

Having just woken, Sasuke smacked his dry lips and sneered. "I need to brush my teeth."

"Oh, O.K." Naruto set the bowl on the end table and reached out to help, but Sasuke slapped the hands angrily away. He raised his chin haughtily in defiance as he managed to stand, then laboriously made his way to the bathroom with a constant handhold on whatever was near.

Naruto waited patiently for Sasuke to return. When he did, the man looked exhausted and collapsed directly into the nearest kitchen chair. Naruto took up the soup bowl and brought it over, setting it and the spoon loudly on the table so that Sasuke would have no trouble finding them. Sasuke snarled at Naruto like some sort of escaped animal and snatched up the silverware. Yet when he dipped it into the soup and tried to swallow some, his hand shook so severely that most of the liquid spilled right back into the bowl. Quietly, Naruto stood up, placed himself behind Sasuke and took the man's hand in his to steady it.

Naruto could practically see the hackles rise on the back of Sasuke's neck but for all that, he didn't shake him off.

--

Naruto waited two days more before broaching the subject that had been weighing on his mind ever since Sasuke stumbled home.

Though he was still paler than normal, tinted green, and not quite as steady on his feet as he should be, Sasuke was quickly improving.

But Naruto's mind was set.

"Sasuke?"

The man didn't alter his position in any way, but Naruto knew he had his attention.

"I'm worried about you."

That got a reaction. Sasuke's body went perfectly still, including the index finger that had lifted a page of his book.

Naruto swallowed thickly. "What you do - it's too dangerous. You almost died, you know that?" He heard the stupid crack in his voice and tried to silence it.

Without moving a muscle, Sasuke replied calmly, "But I didn't."

"Yeah, and if I wasn't here, you would have." The words fell heavily off Naruto's tongue and he swallowed their remaining sour taste with a frown.

"But you were here," Sasuke replied with an edge of impatience.

Naruto pouted. "You can't count on that."

Sasuke bristled almost imperceptibly.

"It's too dangerous," Naruto grumbled on. "Out here on your own." He flashed his deep blue eyes at Sasuke's back. "And I don't like it." He abruptly stood, slamming his hands imprudently to the table. "It's no good, what you're doing."

The page between Sasuke's fingers crinkled ominously. "It's my job."

"Well, it's a crappy one."

"That's none of your concern."

That stung. "None of my concern? I'm the one that took care of you. I didn't sleep for days, wondering if you were going to wake up or if that last night was the last night." He frowned, gritting his jaw until his teeth hurt. "I don't want to lose you. Not over whatever terrible things you do. Not over your_ job_."

Naruto saw the muscles in Sasuke's neck tense. "What else do you expect me to do? You think I have so many options?" The page in Sasuke's hand ripped suddenly. His back flinched straight then he smoothed the paper out, folding the cover closed over it. "Or do you suppose Konoha will take me back?"

Naruto didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Sasuke snorted derisively. "You're going to lecture me, when you're a ninja," he said sarcastically, pressing the book firmly between his palms.

"That's different," Naruto insisted, anxiously shifting his feet.

The book was halfway into its slot in the shelf and Sasuke shoved it in the rest of the way in one quick move, the end smacking loudly into the backboard. "And you don't get paid, I suppose?" He exhaled a short, disgusted mouthful of air. "Different." He shook his head slowly and took a long, painful breath. His hands clenched at his sides and when he turned around, everything had changed.

"Tell me, Naruto, how is it different?" He looked at Naruto, cool as can be. "Because it's Konoha? Because they're so infallible? Because they'd just take me back with open arms?." He crossed his arms and glared, his aim hitting a spot slightly to Naruto's right. This didn't however lessen its impact. "As if I would ever trust a thing they'd say."

"Well, no," Naruto admitted reluctantly, answering the rhetorical question. "But that's not the point. Besides," he went on lamely, "We don't just go around killing people."

"Oh, don't you?" Sasuke let loose an aggravated grunt. "Grow up, already. That's what ninja _do_."

"That's not true," Naruto's growled fiercely and crossed his arms. "_I _don't."

"Hn." Sasuke's eyes swiveled about, readjusting their target and landing directly on Naruto's face this time. "And you're telling me Konoha," he spit the word, "doesn't? I should just forgive and forget and follow their glowing example?"

"But I already told you. Remember?" Naruto insisted. "It's different now. Kakashi – "

"Really?" Sasuke drawled. The blind eyes glared defiantly straight ahead, his face a mask of fury and determination, same as it was all those years ago. It was an expression Naruto didn't want to recognize. "'Different' makes no difference. You should be old enough to know that. And I don't care anyway. It has nothing to do with me anymore, you and you precious Konoha." He jerked his chin contemptuously. "My life is my life."

"And I'm supposed to just let you ruin it and throw it away? Naruto yelled, realizing Sasuke had deftly maneuvered them off topic. With his breath coming in gasps, Naruto took a few quick steps forward and grabbed Sasuke's arms. "You and your horrible job. You're all alone here. _You almost died_. Why don't you get that? If I hadn't been here –"

Sasuke wrestled free. "That's the same risk all shinobi take, usuratonkachi. Assassins," he finally used the dreaded word, "or not."

Naruto stood there, fisting his empty hands, glowering at this blind man. "But it's a mitigated risk. We don't go anywhere without support."

"Where's your support now?"

Naruto pouted defiantly. "I'm not on a dangerous mission." He doubted the statement almost as soon as he said it.

"Neither was I."

The blonde looked up to the ceiling and counted to ten so that he wouldn't strangle Sasuke right there, undoing all his hard work. "Every 'mission' you go on, by definition is dangerous. Look at what happened."

"This has nothing to do with my assignment."

"Right," Naruto scoffed, unbelieving. He waved his hand. "But it's killing you anyway."

"I just said –"

"And you're not listening. Keep up, bastard." Naruto dropped his voice lower, mulling over his words. "Say what you want about all that other stuff. _I don't care_. I don't, not about any of it. But what you're doing, you're going to get yourself killed. And you're not even happy doing it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, angry with just a bit of condescending amusement. "What do you know."

"A lot more that you think." Naruto took a wary look off to the side then stared resolutely at the floor. "You're falling. Or you've already fallen. I don't know. Because you never let me in." Naruto sighed and it caught in his throat. "I can't lose you," he said quietly. "Not now. Not again."

Sasuke took a short, shaky breath and took a step forward. "Naruto, you –"

"I want you to quit." Naruto's voice had dropped so low it was scarcely audible.

But there was nothing wrong with Sasuke's hearing. Every bone in the man's body went immediately rigid, erasing everything form the moment before. The hand he had reached out fell to his side like a puppet string slowly let down. "How dare you." The quiet measure of his voice only highlighted the impact. "You've got a lot of nerve. This is my life. _Mine_. And now you think you can just tell me – " He bit his lip so hard Naruto saw blood trickle over his chin. "Have I ever once asked you to quit _anything_?" The muscles in his throat stood out starkly as his voice increased, his fingernails digging into his palms. "Have I ever asked you to stop being a ninja? Or to give up on becoming Hokage? Have I ever asked you to abandon Konoha? Or to leave your goddamned wife?!"

Naruto flinched at this, but kept his face resolute. His mouth turned into a frown. "But what you're doing is too dangerous. And it's wrong."

Sasuke huffed once. "And what do you tell yourself so you can sleep next to your _wife_ at night?"

"That's not –"

"Go home." It was delivered flatly, without inflection, without emotion.

"But-"

"Get out of my house."

Na-chan reappeared and sauntered toward Naruto, but Sasuke scooped up the cat before he had the chance to do anything. "Get out," Sasuke repeated.

"No." Naruto took a step forward. "I won't. Sasuke, I –"

Na-chan squirmed in Sasuke's arms, scratching him once or twice, but Sasuke gave it no mind. "Get out."

"I won't leave you here alone. You're not fully healed and you're not right." Naruto reached forward, but Sasuke stepped back, the cat in his arms turning to the blonde and mewling. "Don't do this." Naruto clenched his hand at his side.

"You're the one who chose to ruin this," Sasuke said heartlessly.

"I didn't!" Naruto yelled defensively. "You didn't ask! And how was I supposed to know –"

"You think I bring just anyone here?" Sasuke asked, suddenly quietly. He sucked in a short, sharp breath. "You think I never let you in?" Na-chan dug his claws in Sasuke's chest and howled.

Naruto blinked, inhaled sharply, and said nothing.

"Get out. Go home." Sasuke sniffed quickly, once. "You had to choose, Naruto."

Naruto gnashed his teeth. "You can't do this."

"_You_ did this." Na-chan ripped a hole in Sasuke's shirt and drew blood in the skin beneath. "I don't want you in my house anymore. Not if you can't accept the way things are." He stood gripping a frantic Na-chan tight. "Go home." His voice was starting to shake. He held the cat tighter, as close to his body as it could be. "Go home to the great Konoha, if it's so perfect. Go home to your perfect little life with your perfect little wife! Get out!" The vein in Sasuke's head nearly burst. His skin had gone red again, and white, and water ran down his face in rivulets. His body trembled and it was fairly clear he could barely stand. The fight had sapped what little strength he had regained right back out of him. His lips were pulled taut and he squeezed his eyes shut, shutting himself off.

In his arms, Na-chan scrabbled madly and wailed like a banshee.

But Sasuke hunched his shoulders over him and didn't let go.

Naruto studied the man for a moment, a flurry of emotions warring over his heart, anger and pain and worry and fear, until he felt like choking.

In the end, as it often did when dealing with _this_ Sasuke, the anger won out.

"Fine," Naruto growled, glaring as though he was barely restraining himself.

Maybe he was.

So he did as he was told and left.

But he could still hear the cat, mewling and howling and shrieking and sounding almost human, long after he'd gone out the door.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 25/26

* * *

Chapter 25

The house was quiet, so quiet he could almost hear the falling of leaves outside. They had turned brown and red and orange and gold, beautiful but dead. Though all the windows were open and sun streamed in, the house seemed dark.

It was empty.

Naruto sat at the kitchen table and looked around the room. He could count off all the things Hinata had bought to make the place their own. It had become cozy and personal, alive with a future and she had made it that way.

He knew he was cornering her, but he also knew he had to do this _now_, before he lost all momentum.

He should have done it months ago.

As he sat there, his nerves began to shake with the waiting. He sat still, but he couldn't sit still.

He folded his hands, leaned his sore head on them and closed his eyes. But when he did that, he saw Sasuke again with Na-chan in his arms, saw it all, and understood. He forced his breathing to even out.

The door opened.

Naruto's head popped up.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata sounded surprised yet pleased and something Naruto couldn't place. "I didn't know you were coming back today." She walked over and gave his cheek a little peck.

It felt soft and damning on his whisker marks. "No, neither did I." Naruto tried to smile and failed.

Hinata placed a bag on the counter and looked at him curiously. She began sifting through it for something she couldn't find.

"Um, Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, barely restraining a squeak from his matured vocal chords. The woman's attention abruptly turned to him. "Could you just leave that? There's something I need to talk to you about."

Hinata laughed nervously while her hand gripped the handle tight. "I can hear you just fine from here."

"Hinata, please," he urged. "Sit."

And it was probably as much the use of her name with no honorific as it was the pleading tenor of his voice that made her stop and slowly make her way to the table to sit across from him. She gave him a brave, if weak, smile. But try as he might, Naruto couldn't return it with any sort of credibility.

And now that this hurried moment was upon him, he balked. He looked at his wife, so beautiful in the light spilling from the windows, her milky eyes full of sweetness and promise, and he balked.

So in lieu of words, he pushed a pile of papers towards her. Hinata's eyes questioned him and she gave another little smile. Naruto didn't acknowledge this, all his attention focused fully on the papers. After a moment, Hinata cleared her throat and lifted the first page.

The first thing to show on her face was confusion. Her eyes scanned the sheets rapidly, her thumb riffling through the few papers quicker than she could have actually read them. Then as she stared at the bottom line of the last page, fear set in.

"Divorce papers?" She asked, her voice small but echoing. "W-why? What did I d-do? Is it because of . . because I didn't have a baby?"

"No!" Naruto said and automatically covered her hands with his. "No, of course not." He rubbed his fingers soothingly over hers and looked at her, her face a mask of guilt and worry, immediately taking the blame onto herself.

It should have been his first clue.

Then Naruto did find the smile in him. "They're not for me," he said, not entirely the truth. "They're for you."

"M-me?!" Hinata pulled her hands free and shoved the papers away from her as if they were poisoned. The chair squealed against the wood floor as she stood up. "I don't want a divorce!"

Her expression was panic-stricken but there was also an understanding of something she didn't want to know.

Naruto pursed his lips, fighting to keep the smile, and took a deep breath.

"You will after you hear what I have to tell you."

--

There was very little to show for his twenty-four years of life. With care, he pried up the corner floorboard and put the last of what could be considered his into his pack. The replacement of the wood back to its corner felt final.

The house felt the loss of warmth now that Hinata was gone. It had come as a shock when Naruto told his story, but one she'd been expecting.

She had looked at him, fought back the tears, and nodded.

She had known.

She had not known.

Then she'd left.

The house would be hers of course; it had always been more hers than his. The sun continued to shine in through the windows, stubbornly declaring that the day was fine when it seemed to Naruto that it ought to be raining. Dust motes floated in the beams, glowing down all around him, sparkling and sad. He took one last look around.

The bag in his hand weighed light and heavy at once.

There was a knock at the door.

Naruto looked at it but didn't answer.

It sounded again, more demanding this time.

Naruto still continued to stare as though he didn't realize this sound meant someone wanted to come in.

Then there was a reverberating bang, followed by the shout of a voice he knew all too well.

"I know you're in there, Naruto! Open up or I'll smash the door in!" Sakura yelled. There was a short pause. "You know I will."

Another minute passed during which Naruto didn't respond so she hit the door again and there was a horrible cracking sound. Naruto winced and swung the door open.

Sakura's soft expression didn't match her actions.

She smiled helplessly. "I heard what happened."

Naruto only nodded and when he didn't invite her in, she simply shoved him out of the way and invited herself. She paused at the threshold and took in the surroundings. "It's a nice house," she said.

Naruto nodded.

She took a more in-depth glance around the room and noticed the bag, packed and ready to go. Her eyes stayed glued to it a long time.

"So you're going to him?" Sakura didn't turn around.

Naruto emitted a weary sigh. "Hinata told you?"

In an instant, Sakura whirled and leveled a first class glare at him. "You think Hinata would talk?"

Naruto pouted and guiltily shifted his eyes.

Sakura heaved a breath and crossed her arms. "Hinata isn't saying anything. But as big as Konoha is, it's pretty small."

His hand scratched nervously at his chin. "Then how?" He didn't look at her.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura cast her head up to heaven. "It wasn't exactly hard to figure out, was it?" But it wasn't a question intended for an answer. Naruto blinked at her and she groaned. "You never really gave up looking for him, did you? You think I didn't know? You were so jumpy, alone so much of the time. It wasn't like you. Then suddenly you start taking all these traveling missions, not all of which were real?" Naruto flinched. "Yes, I checked. And then I catch you translating a tenji book when we knew Sasuke could have gone blind? C'mon," she said with exasperation. "Give me a little credit. I'm not stupid, you know."

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled and looked to the floor.

"Yeah," the pink-haired woman mused. She drew her finger leisurely along the top edge of the sofa. "I knew you were visiting him. I just didn't know you –" She stopped, twisted her nail into the fabric. "Are you in love with Sasuke?"

Naruto's hangdog expression answered that question for her.

"Oh, God. Naruto!" She scolded.

"It wasn't supposed to happen." Naruto defended feebly. "It all just sort of . . . got out of hand."

"Out of hand?" The woman asked incredulously.

"You know what I mean." Naruto shuffled towards his couch - not his, not anymore - and dropped himself right into the hole in the center. "One thing led to another and then another and suddenly I couldn't stop."

He began to sink down; they never did get around to replacing this couch.

Sakura walked by, her nail scraping across the upholstery just behind Naruto's head. She stared out the window. "He's always been an addiction for you."

Naruto looked at his hands.

Sakura tilted her head towards him. "So that's it? You're leaving Konoha and all your friends." Her eyes turned toward the spiky mess of his hair. "And what about becoming Hokage? You giving that up too?"

The blond looked sharply at her. "I'd never forget my friends! And I'm still becoming Hokage," he asserted. "Baa-chan was gone for like a hundred years before they brought her back to be Hokage. And I don't think Kakashi's stepping down anytime soon. _I will_ be Hokage." He paused and stared at his hands determinedly, open palms facing him. Finally, his gaze returned to Sakura, a strange sort of expression on his face. "I will be Hokage. But right now," his voice was oddly calm and assured. "I need to be with Sasuke."

His blue eyes were so intense and pleading that Sakura couldn't hold his gaze for more than a few seconds. Naruto grinned at her encouragingly, but she didn't return it.

Naruto turned away again, to the floor and walls and ceiling that no longer belonged to him, if they ever did. "Do you hate me?" he asked quietly.

Sakura didn't reply.

There was nothing to be done now.

Naruto pursed his lips painfully, closed his eyes, and took a deep swallow. He opened his eyes, spared one last look for Sakura then picked up his bag.

He was halfway out the door when she stopped him.

"Hey!"

Naruto turned, his eyes wide and worried and hopeful. Sakura closed her mouth and took in a quick breath, her face serious when she at last spoke. "When you see Sasuke," she said, "Tell him 'hi' for me, would you?"

Naruto gaped at her, still and silent and dumbfounded.

Slowly, a sympathetic sort of smile stole across Sakura's lips.

Then, almost as an explosion of all their unspoken words, the two of them laughed together like they hadn't done in years.

--

Naruto had made a hasty retreat out of Konoha, narrowly missing any further altercations, one of the first things to go according to plan in a long time.

The house in the hills was empty when he arrived, but it continued to feel warm and comfortable all the same. He plopped himself down heavily on the pristine bed.

Before long, Na-chan sauntered out of one of his many hiding places and meowed up at him. Naruto smiled but didn't try to pet him, knowing that such an action was not always met with goodwill. But Na-chan leapt up onto the bed next to him, sat down and proceeded to rub his furry head against Naruto's arm, purring with deep contentment.

Naruto looked inquisitively on Na-chan, but let the fickle creature do what it wanted.

He scanned the room and mentally decided where all his things should go, envisioning what it would be like to live here.

His.

Really, truly his.

It was already late, so Naruto made some dinner for himself and the cat, and soon after went to sleep.

--

A soft sound and Na-chan's insistent pawing on his leg woke Naruto before he was fully rested.

Bleary-eyed, he got up, stretched, and peeked out the side window.

From the bed, Na-chan hissed, baring every last one of his little pointed teeth.

Naruto's eyebrows pulled together and he took another look outside. There was nothing in his line of sight, but had the strangest sense something was there. There was a sort of creepy feeling at the base of his neck. Plus Na-chan was acting more than a little odd.

To reiterate this point, Na-chan hissed again, rearing his head back.

Naruto took one last look out the window, pulled a kunai to the ready, and went to the door.

When he opened it, he saw someone he wouldn't have expected. He quickly hid the kunai behind his back, tilted his head to the side curiously, and smiled. "Hello," he greeted.

Na-chan arched his back and rumbled low in his throat, his claws digging in to the crisp, clean bedspread. Alarmed, Naruto turned to him and the cat launched himself into space, sharp nails flashing and cat roar booming.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended

Title: Floodgates  
Chapter: 26/26

* * *

Chapter 26

The bar was mostly vacant while he sat there; early morning was not generally the time people would visit such places. But he felt like he needed a good stiff drink after defeating that hulking assassin. He'd left his house too soon.

But he'd had to do it.

There had been too much space there and the walls had started to close in on him.

It'd been a long night and now the alcohol burned his insides on the way down.

He coughed. When he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, it came back sticky with blood. He cleaned it on the side of his already ruined pants and tossed back the last of his drink.

"I have to say," a male said behind him, "I'm actually pretty glad you came out the winner."

Sasuke patently ignored the vaguely familiar voice. He had better, and worse, things to deal with.

"Still, I didn't think you'd _kill_ him." There was an ambiguous smile in that statement. "Bravo."

Sasuke gave the man as direct a look as he could manage, threw as much anger into it as he could and headed to the exit. The loud-mouthed idiot followed just as Sasuke intended, like a lamb to the slaughter.

"I can't say I'm disappointed," the man continued blithely, stupidly, on. "I didn't _really_ want you dead."

The instant Sasuke led them into a secluded alleyway he turned on the man, slammed him against the stone wall, and pointed his sword at his throat. The cracked rib in Sasuke's side punctured his lung, but he didn't care. This fool was something he could throw his frustration at.

"Who are you?" He asked calmly, biting back the pain.

"Don't tell me you don't remember," the man whined moodily. "After those glorious days we spent together." He ran light fingers over Sasuke's jaw. "I never minded a little violence."

Something clicked in Sasuke's brain. He twisted the blade a little closer. "Kenta."

The boy sighed with a sick sort of contentment. "You remembered."

"What's this all about?" Sasuke asked dangerously, assuming the context was clear.

Sasuke could feel the boy's pouting petulance beneath his hand. "You wouldn't pay attention to me. Even after everything we shared." He huffed childishly. "Though you wouldn't come with me that last time." The sound of his voice changed, turning to self-satisfaction. "At least not until I gave you a little something to help you relax."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, remembering that lost night, but he otherwise ignored the comment. "So you tried to have me killed?" He clarified.

Kenta laughed, an oddly musical sound. "I always knew you were dangerous. Powerful." He gave a rattling sigh. "But I didn't know you were _that_ powerful."

"So all this," Sasuke pulled at Kenta's skin with the tip of his sword. "Was to get my attention?"

"Of course," Kenta said, his voice a little warbling from the strain of stretching it away from the blade. "How else was I to get you away from that stupid blond?"

On cue, all of Sasuke's muscles tensed. His insides still blazed but now it wasn't just from the injuries. "What do you know about him?"

"It's not fair," the boy spat defensively, not answering the question. "He's not special. I've seen him." He snorted scornfully. The assassin sneered. "He's not worthy of you. Don't you get it? He doesn't appreciate you. That's why I had to – " But he stopped there.

Sasuke waited a second then slammed the boy hard against the stone. It felt good.

"That's why you what?"

Kenta rumbled low in his throat.

"That's why you _what_, Kenta?" But Sasuke knew the answer. The blade nicked the boy's throat. "You were fun. Don't make me kill you," he said this as though it weren't already a forgone conclusion.

The boy's content demeanor soured. "You see? This is _him_ talking," he criticized. "I'd let you be yourself."

"_Let_ me?" Sasuke mimicked threateningly.

"You're be better off with out him," the boy snapped, oblivious.

Kenta hissed as Sasuke drove the sword point in deep enough to open skin. "What did you do?"

"Only what's best for you," Kenta rasped defiantly.

Sasuke twisted the point a quarter turn.

"It's too late anyway. They'll be at your house by now. He's dead."

Sasuke's left eyebrow twitched. Naruto made it pretty clear to him that he wouldn't be returning. He didn't need to be reminded of it by some useless boy. "You took a hit out on him too." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

Kenta sighed with satisfaction when Sasuke slowly let him down and dropped his unsheathed sword to his side.

"I-" But Kenta never got to finish that sentence. Sasuke cut off his next words with a hand held tight over the boy's mouth and a sword thrust straight into his heart. Kenta's small, insignificant body twitched as Sasuke twisted the blade, opening the wound, and let the blood gush free. The warm metallic scent of it filled his nose. Kenta's muffled cries were like white noise, of no importance, and scarcely heard outside the thundering in Sasuke's head.

The assassin stared, a mix of hatred and apathy, directly into Kenta's eyes almost as if he wished he could see just so he could watch the last dying light drain from his former lover's face.

--

There was little recourse left to him but believe the boy. So Sasuke headed home. There was a limp in his gait and a fire in his lungs as the injuries weighed more heavily on his body than they should. He hadn't been ready. And he'd ended up in this situation because of Kenta, because of Naruto.

But reasons didn't matter.

Only getting home, only if it were true.

For now he simply moved forward, ever closer to his house and Naruto.

He was too focused on his goal to do more than throw a hand up in the way of the garrote when it came flying at him.

With barely a thought, he grabbed the wire and sent an electrical current jolting through it. Almost instantly, the wire went slack and fell limp to the dirt around him.

In the next moment, he was out of the ligature's path and facing the new enemy with his katana unsheathed.

Several new wires sprang out and tried wrapping around his feet and he avoided nearly all of them. The cords shifted fluidly, more like water than metal, and one slipped its way around his leg.

Six daggers flew at him at once and Sasuke countered each with rapid deflections with his blade. He wrenched his side awkwardly and drove the rib deeper into his lung. Then there was a push to his shoulder, followed by an awkward swing of leg meant to catch him in the face. Sasuke caught the thin ankle with his free hand and yanked, landing the woman roughly on her backside.

She manipulated more of her strings and ensnared Sasuke's sword-less arm. She was like an expert musician, graceful and deadly in everything she did.

Sachiko.

That fool Kenta had hired Sachiko.

Sasuke sneered and tilted his body towards his bound hand and quickly formed some seals. The placement of his arms saved him from the garrote, and as skilled as she was, Sachiko relied too heavily on it.

Sasuke had the advantage. He'd been trained as a ninja first and had a slew of techniques meant for battle that she did not.

The dragon flower jutsu caught the woman unawares, causing her to lose control of her wires and giving Sasuke the half-second he needed to get free. Swearing, he dashed into the cover of trees, knowing he needed to do whatever he could to buy time. The jutsu had done as much damage to his insides as it had to the world outside.

This fight shouldn't be so hard.

Quickly, he created a clone to help confuse Sachiko and sat down against a tree trunk to rest. His lung burned and breathing had become difficult, but there was no time to spare worrying. He stifled a cough that dribbled blood over his chin and onto his chest.

He needed to get home.

If it was true, if it was true . . .

His chest felt too tight to breath and he knew it wasn't just from his broken rib.

The wires snapped back to the woman's fingers with a whir and a crack.

There were several minutes of complete, thoughtful silence.

Sasuke dropped his chakra levels low to conserve his energy.

If that useless boy were right, if Naruto really was at the house, he'd need to stop Sachiko from getting there.

He needed to stop her here and now.

There was a gentle shift in the air and the twang of a garrote pulling taut.

"C'mon Taka," Sachiko wheedled. "It's nothing personal."

Sasuke scowled. It was very much personal. Sachiko was taking jobs outside the network; she would've known exactly whom she'd have to fight.

All Sasuke would need was one chidori nagashi and she'd be out of the picture. Even less than that, a Goukakyuu no Jutsu would be more than sufficient. But he had little energy and more importantly, little speed left to deal with her. He had to be careful, had to be smart.

"Just give it up," the woman teased, taking uselessly silent steps. "What are you fighting for anyway? The boy? That's a lost cause. He's long dead by now."

Sasuke sneered. Naruto was a hardly a boy and certainly not dead. He would have known, even if Naruto were halfway around the world, he would have known.

Sasuke had his clone speak for him. "You don't even know where he is."

Sachiko scoffed, unladylike. "Really? And you think the kidnapping of the only doctor from a sleepy little town goes unnoticed?" She snorted, even more unladylike. "Little towns gossip."

Sasuke grimaced furiously.

"That means nothing." Refuted the Sasuke clone.

"By itself . . . " Sachiko made a high, ambiguous noise. "But the house has been watched. He's there."

Sasuke's spirit spiked warm and painful at once, but he squelched it. There was no time.

"If you'd even attempted to fight him, I'd know," the clone insisted.

"Ha!" Sachiko chortled from a different side of the open field. "I'mnot going to fight him. Were you hit so hard in the head that you've forgotten I work with a partner?"

For a moment, Sasuke _had _actually forgotten about Toshio.

"I took care of him," The Sasuke clone retorted arrogantly, referring to the large, dead assassin.

"Toshio?" The woman asked skeptically, and not worried at all. "No. I don't think so. I sent him off not too long before you showed up."

Her voice was teasingly singsong and confident. Sasuke cursed. Toshio couldn't be the hulking assassin, then. It was last night that he'd dealt with that man.

With only silence as a response, Sachiko was encouraged to go on. "Give it up. Nobody turns Toshio away." A wind ruffled through the trees, blowing leaves across the ground and hitting Sachiko with muffled little smacks. "He's not much use in a fight, but the little tyke's just so darn cute."

Sasuke groaned.

A kid. Of course.

The perfect foil for Naruto.

Sasuke could tell the woman was coming too close; a distraction was required. He sent out his clone and made a quick series of seals. In an acrid puff of smoke, the moody Hebiaya appeared.

"I need you to get a message to Naruto," Sasuke forced out against the increasing pain.

The snake hissed. "Where is my payment."

Sasuke buried his hands in the dirt and slammed the back of his head against the tree. He coughed violently and a significant amount of blood spewed out of his mouth.

The sounds of chase were evident behind him; the clone was doing a good job of diverting Sachiko.

"You'll get one if you deliver the message," Sasuke told the snake.

Hebiaya slurred disapprovingly and thought for an interminable minute during which Sasuke wanted to throttle him. Unfortunately, his strength was waning too fast to do that.

Warily, the serpent asked, "What is this message?"

"Tell Naruto that an assassin is after him." Sasuke took a raw, strangled breath. "It's a kid."

"And where would I find him?" The snake said haughtily.

The clone disappeared suddenly in a blink of chakra and Sachiko screamed in frustration.

"The house," Sasuke replied with an economical use of words. He felt the rush of oncoming danger.

Hebiaya lightly rustled the leaves he sat in, flicking his tail in disapproval. "Very well."

"There you are." Sachiko's lilting voice declared.

Sasuke clutched the sword tight in his trembling hand until the knuckles hurt. There he was, bleeding out and his chakra draining fast, with a recalcitrant snake on his right and a woman after his life on the left. Sachiko pulled the garrote tight until it hummed.

"Go!" Sasuke ordered the snake as he laboriously pushed himself to his feet.

Hebiaya hissed indignantly and vanished.

"Too late," Sachiko remarked cheerily. "But don't worry. I'll make it quick." Sachiko tuned the wire, plucking it like a harp string and making it sing.

Sasuke faced her with his sword in his hand, steady as he sent the last of his chakra down the blade for one brief, finishing strike.

It crackled and sparked off the tip of his blade, blue and bright like the dying embers of fireworks.

--

Sachiko was right.

It was quick.

And it left him bone weary, so tired he wanted to close his eyes and take a good long sleep, maybe forever. He was disgusted with himself that such stupid, insignificant flies should take so much out of him. But he dredged up a little bit more, that last bit of chakra, of will and power he didn't think he had and reached out into the darkness.

On the very periphery of his senses he felt it, faint but undeniably there.

Naruto.

Naruto and Na-chan and Hebiaya and someone he didn't know, all mixed together and unclear. All of it hazy, like the omnipresent fog of his adopted homeland, but _there_.

He closed his eyes and let his head fall back. The cool autumn air, thick with the scent of earth and rain and the hint of winter to come, swept over him.

Then he smiled, that almost but not quite, but maybe wanted to be, smile and his heart, for once, was calm.

--

END


End file.
